By Ken Miller
The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Torrential rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin left at least six people dead in Oklahoma, and led to dozens of harrowing high-water rescues. One survivor on Monday described how she was plucked from a flooded pickup truck only to fall from the rescue helicopter seconds later.

Bernice and Leroy Krittenbrink's pickup had been swept off a road by a wall of flood water after as much as nine inches of rain doused the state over the weekend.

The couple waited in the muddy, rust-colored water for more than hour before the rescue helicopter arrived. Bernice Krittenbrink, 66, said she didn't hesitate to grab the helicopter's skid.

"You're just really thankful to see them," she told ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday, a day after making it to dry land. "Of course, I had the life preserver that they had dropped to me a little bit earlier and that gave you more of a secure feeling. At that time, I really didn't know that I was going to have to just grab hold."

Leroy Krittenbrink, 72, said he tried to help his wife hold on but she lost her grip and fell back into the shallow water. The helicopter crew rescued her a second time and brought her to safety.

Weather systems like Erin usually weaken after coming ashore in Texas, but this storm surprised forecasters early Sunday, producing winds of more than 80 mph winds and heavy rain.

At least 14 deaths were blamed on the weekend flooding in Texas and Oklahoma. Roads and several schools in the Oklahoma City area remained closed Monday, and some schools that did open couldn't send out buses.

In Kingfisher, about 100 residents were evacuated from their homes after the nearby Cimarron River flooded.

"Out of its banks doesn't even cover it well enough," National Weather Service forecaster Daryl Williams said late Sunday. "The Cimarron River tributaries that flow into the town of Kingfisher are just lakes right now."