Southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were pummeled with torrential rain and flooding Wednesday due to a severe storm system that has wrought destruction across the South.

The intense flooding forced officials to shut down Interstate 10 at the Alabama-Florida state line, stranding many people in their cars. Some drivers were forced to abandon their cars and seek safety on higher ground, USA Today reports.

Heavy rain also caused a section of Scenic Highway, which runs along the western side of Escambia Bay near Pensacola, Florida, to collapse. Two cars dropped 40 feet to the ground after a 50-yard wide section of the highway collapsed.

The National Weather Service reports that more than 5 inches of rain fell between 9 and 10 p.m. Tuesday in Pensacola, which surpassed the total rainfall from Hurricane Ivan.

The weather also moved north, bringing heavy ran and high winds to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

In Pensacola, fire rescue crews were not able to respond to some calls for help due to the intense flooding.

"It's gotten to the point where we can't send EMS and fire rescue crews out on some 911 calls because they can't get there," said Escambia County spokesman Bill Pearson. "We've had people whose homes are flooding and they've had to climb up to the attic."

Alabama has also had historic flooding, with Fairhope, Alabama getting 11.5 inches of rain overnight. Emergency notification system calls were made to people living south of I-10 to advise them not travel.

Downton sections of Mobile, Alabama were also hit with more than a foot of rain, and a sinkhole formed that swallowed a truck.

Escambia County also declared a state of emergency and ordered people not to travel.

The Florida National Guard dispatched trucks into the hardest-hit areas, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent two boats out to rescue stranded residents.

The Pensacola Naval Air Station was also closed Wednesday morning.

Jill Hubbs, a resident at the Scenic Hills housing development near Pensacola, said that cars are still trapped with people inside.

"A teenage driver yelled for help and the car flipped on its side," Hubbs said via Facebook. "Thanks to my nephew, Jonathan, and brother-in-law, Bob, who tied extension cords together, the teenager, who was hanging onto a tree, is safe. But another car is trapped with two people inside and the water is rushing like the rapids."

One death was reported due to drowning in Cantonment, Florida.

At least 35 deaths have also been reported from the storms that caused severe tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas, and at least 15 deaths were reported in Alabama and Mississippi.