By JOHN HOLUSHA
The New York Times

Floods soaked much of the midsection of the country from Texas to Minnesota today, causing at least 13 deaths as swirling waters washed out roads, triggered mudslides and forced evacuations of low-lying areas.

In Minnesota, Governor Tim Pawlenty said six people had died, some of them when their vehicles fell into sinkholes in roadways, and he declared a state of emergency for parts of the southeastern section of the state. National Guard troops and helicopters were activated for duty in the affected areas.

Thundershowers dumped as much as a foot of rain on Minnesota and neighboring Wisconsin overnight, and several towns along the Mississippi River were evacuated as a precaution. Some homeowners were plucked from the roofs of their houses where they had been forced to flee by the rapidly rising waters.

In Chicago, heavy rains delayed air travelers and flash flooding disrupted commuters heading into the city. More rain was in the forecast, with the National Weather Service predicting as much as three more inches during the day

Schools were closed in parts of Indiana because the storms had deprived them of electric power.

Six people were reported dead in Oklahoma and one in Texas, many of them killed when their vehicles were swept off roads by surging flood waters caused by rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin

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