Iowa sports broadcaster drowns after being swept away by flash floods in Des Moines

The broadcaster's body was found several blocks away from the van he abandoned in the storm

Mr Cotlar pictured in a radio broadcast booth (1350 ESPN)

A sports radio broadcaster has been killed after stepping out into flood waters during a torrential storm that had stalled his van.

Larry Bruce Cotlar, 66, was killed during the Iowa storm, which brought more than seven inches of rain in just a few hours to Des Moines. That deluge forced dozens of water rescues and evacuations during the course of the storm, authorities have said.

The call for Mr Cotlar and those with him came around 8.50pm local time, police said.

“As officers responded, it was reported that the occupants had left the van and that one person, a 66-year-old male Des Moines resident, had been swept away in the flash-flood waters,” Sergeant Paul Parizek, with the local police, said in a statement provided to ABC News.

The body of the man swept away was recovered at 12.39am Sunday, multiple blocks away from where the van he was in had stalled.

Mr Cotlar was known to the broader Des Moines community for hosting the “Cotlar and Company” weekly radio show, which was broadcast on 1350 ESPN.

He also worked as the play-by-play announcer for the Drake University men’s basketball games.

“All of us at 1350 ESPN and the Des Moines Radio group are devastated by the loss of our voice, our colleague, and our friends, Larry Collar,” a statement from the radio station said. “Larry was the voice of sports in Central Iowa.”

“Today, our thoughts are with his wife, Deb, and their son, Zach. There is absolutely no replacing Larry,” the statement continued. “He will be thought of fondly and missed greatly by his family, friends, and his extended families in the sports and broadcasting communities.”

The US government’s Ready Campaign, which provides instructions for preparing for and surviving a myriad of disasters, notes that just six inches of water can sweep someone off of their feet — and a foot of water can sweep a car away.

That campaign suggests that anyone who lives in an area where flooding may occur should develop a plan to seek shelter and safety as soon as a flash flood warning is made. The campaign says that one should never drive or walk into flood waters, and says that people trapped in their vehicles should stay inside.

If someone is already trapped inside their vehicles by fast moving waters, the website says, then seeking refuge on the roof of the vehicle is advised.