CNN
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A man in northwest Iowa drowned in his basement during severe flooding that ravaged the Midwest last week, police said, bringing the death toll in the region to at least three.
The body of 52-year-old Kyle Kreykes was discovered Monday after he was reported missing by his family on June 21, Rock Valley Police Chief Monte Warburton told CNN on Friday.
Kreykes drowned in the flooded basement of his home, where he lived alone, Warburton said.
Because of the high water levels, officials were unable to search Kreykes’ home for several days, Warburton said. Large pumps were used to remove the floodwater.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for several Iowa counties on Monday, including Clay County.
Officials in Iowa and South Dakota said at least two more deaths were reported as a result of the flooding.
In Clay County, a man died Saturday while attempting to drive a pickup truck through raging floodwaters in the town of Spencer, according to a news release from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday.
The man from Elburn, Illinois, was swept away and found floating in the Little Sioux River, officials said.
At the time, “no rescue attempts were made due to the very dangerous situation,” the press release said. Officials recovered the man’s body on Tuesday morning.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol said Saturday that an 87-year-old commercial vehicle driver was also killed in a flood-related accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“The driver attempted to turn around and backed over the edge of the washout,” officials said in a news release Tuesday. “The UTV began to roll and the driver was ejected.”
During a press conference on Sunday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem confirmed the death and urged residents to stay away from flooded areas.
“I want to remind everyone not to forget the power of the water and the flow of the water,” she said. “These are serious flood levels.”
Noem added that many river gauges upstream had broken records for water flow and water level.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.
