Did a catastrophic flood of biblical proportions drown the shores of the Black Sea 9,500 years ago, wiping out early Neolithic settlements around its perimeter?

Flooding in the upper Midwest had driven thousands of people from their homes Thursday. The worst hit states were Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio. In Wisconsin, the state government estimated that more than 1,000 homes had been damaged by flooding with 277 heavily damaged and 39 destroyed.

Rain-spawned flooding in northwestern England has begun to recede but officials said communities further south would face peak water levels in days. As many as 1 million people have been affected by the worst flooding in modern British history, The Telegraph reported.

LONDON - Swollen rivers from torrential rain forced thousands of people from their homes, and forecasters warned Monday that water levels could rise to critical levels.

By Stephen McGinty A FLOOD of biblical proportions swept away the hills which once joined England to France and created the British Isles, according to explosive new research which reshapes the geological history of Britain.