A Michigan centenarian was found dead yesterday after drowning in her flooded basement.
The details of Julia Sarno's death are still unclear, but authorities say she drowned after either suffering a heart attack or falling after checking the water in the basement of her Warren home.
Sarno's daughter found her body yesterday when she visited to check up on her during the storm.
"It's too bad, and it can happen to anybody. I was down there wading in ankle-deep water and I didn't think about it. I could have been electrocuted or something. It never really dawned on me," neighbor Diana Sarver tells CBS.
On Moday, 5.2 inches of rain poured down on Warren, according to the National Weather Service. Streets and freeways were barraged with water, and motorists got stuck on flooded roads.
Roughly 1,000 vehicles had been abandoned in floodwaters in the suburb where many roads were closed, reports Star Tribune.
Sarno appeared to be well-liked by neighbors who spoke about her death.
"As a neighbor, she was great, constantly saying 'hi' ... and every Christmas I would have a Christmas card from her, and for every holiday she would call me and say 'hi,'" Anna Stella tells CBS.
This was the third reported flood-related death in the metro Detroit area.
Mayor Jim Fouts has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for funds to assist homeowners. He has also declared the state in an official state of emergency called the National Guard for assistance.
