The menacing Mississippi River’s floodwaters have claimed their first victim, washing away a 69-year-old man in Vicksburg, Miss. Firefighters patrolling in a boat saw Walter Cook clinging to a fence, but he was washed away and was dead before they could reach him. He’s believed to be the first person to die in the floods, which are the worst in years and have spurred mass evacuations along the river’s length in several states.
