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© Mackenzie GreerFlooding at La Cholla Bridge
A woman has died after the car she was driving was swept away by heavy floods on the east side of Tucson, according to the Tucson Fire Department. Tucson Fire Spokesman Barrett Baker said rescue units responded to a residential area near 22nd Street and Kolb Road at around 9:30 a.m. Monday. When they arrived, the car was submerged and couldn't be reached.

The car was then swept away and traveled about two blocks before it became trapped against a bridge in a wash that had flooded over onto a major street. The water was about 10 to 15 feet high, Baker said.

Firefighters have retrieved the woman's body but have not been able to pull the car out of the wash.

Several roads are closed throughout Tucson, including Overton Road at the Canada Del Oro Wash, Limberlost at the Agua Caliente Wash, Wentworth Road at Tanque Verde Creek, Avra Valley Road at the Brawley Wash, Tanque Verde Road at Conestoga Avenue, and Silverbell Road between Avra Valley Road to Sasco Road.

County officials say people should proceed with caution in other roads around town, including Sahuarita Road between Houghton Road and Wentworth Road, Old Spanish Trail at the Rincon Creek, and Valencia Road between Camino Verde to Viviana Avenue.

Pima County said in a media release it will dismiss county employees on a staggered schedule starting at 3:15 p.m. today. Employees will be divided in groups, starting with those who live the furthest from work.

County libraries in Tucson also announced they would all be closing at 5 p.m. due to reported heavy rains the rest of the day.

Heavy storms also hit the Phoenix area early Monday, flooding major freeways, and causing many water rescues in the area. Mayor Greg Stanton declared a state of emergency for the city.

Sections of Interstate 10 and 17 in west Phoenix were closed.

The National Weather Service recorded 2.99 inches of rain by about 7 a.m., breaking the old record of 2.91 inches set in 1933.

Scattered electricity outages were reported in the metro area with more than 10,000 customers losing power.

Numerous school systems and colleges, including the University of Arizona's College of Medicine Phoenix campus and all of Maricopa County Community College District, either closed schools or delayed openings.

Gov. Jan Brewer has declared a statewide emergency because of floods and heavy rain storms.

A media release from Brewer's office said the heavy rains caused forced evacuation in La Paz County, and required emergency response search and rescue missions, including the American Red Cross opening shelters in Maricopa and La Paz counties. Both those counties also declared a state of emergency, the release said.

Brewer also directed that $200,000 from the general fund be made available to the director of the Arizona Division of Emergency Management, the release said.

Last week, Brewer requested the U.S. Small Business Administration to assist residents and businesses in Maricopa County as they recover from last month's flash floods in the towns of New River and Laveen. The county received rainfall on seven of eight consecutive days between Aug. 12 and 19.

Brewer also told non-essential state employees to stay home Monday.