Heavy, concentrated storms that swept through southeastern Missouri produced intense flash flooding on Friday, leaving scores of people stranded in high water along the rain-swollen Black River and prompting coordinated air and boat rescues, officials said.
National Guard crews operating Black Hawk helicopters evacuated roughly 200 people from Camp Taum Sauk in Lesterville - about 100 miles (160 km) south of St. Louis - flying them to higher ground on Friday afternoon, State Highway Patrol Sergeant Eddie Young said. Approximately half of those taken to safety were children; the remainder were camp counselors and other staff.
Separately, river rescue teams in boats reached and removed three people who were trapped elsewhere along the Black River in Reynolds County late in the day, Young added. Earlier in the day, the Reynolds County Sheriff’s Office said emergency responders had pulled more than 90 people to safety from floodwaters that swamped homes, campsites and vehicles.
As of Friday evening, officials reported no fatalities.
Residents described the speed and scale of the flooding. Joann Franklin told local television that she, her husband and their dog and cat had been rescued from the roof of their house. "This is the highest that the water’s ever been, and I’ve lived here since 1979, so (almost) 50 years," she said.
Conditions on the swollen river proved hazardous for rescuers as well. Two rescue boats capsized in turbulent waters, but crew members were located and recovered safely downstream by other emergency personnel, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities initially listed another 20 to 30 people as missing in Reynolds County. Those individuals were later rescued or reported safe, rescuers said. Among that group were people who had been swept off the roof of a building that collapsed in the floodwaters at the Bearcat Getaway Campground, Young stated. One other person remained unaccounted for in adjacent Crawford County.
Large stretches of roadway were washed out across the affected region, complicating access for emergency teams attempting to reach riverfront campgrounds and other isolated locations. Search units planned to revisit those areas as floodwaters receded, Young said.
The Black River and neighboring streams were converted into raging torrents after a series of thunderstorms poured between 6 and 12 inches (150 to 300 mm) of rain on the area overnight and into Friday morning, the sheriff’s office reported. Additional showers were forecast for Friday night in the already rain-saturated region.
Officials said several counties within the mountainous, hilly Lead Belt of southeastern Missouri - part of the eastern Ozarks - bore the brunt of the flooding. The storm system's reach extended well beyond those counties: the National Weather Service posted flood watches in portions of eight states, covering more than 21 million people from Missouri east through southern Illinois and Indiana and into Kentucky and Tennessee, and north into West Virginia, Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency for the flood-affected areas to streamline coordination between state and local agencies and accelerate disaster assistance to the hardest-hit communities.
Summary of immediate actions and situation:
- National Guard helicopter evacuations of roughly 200 people from Camp Taum Sauk.
- More than 90 people rescued earlier from homes, campsites and vehicles; additional boat rescues reported.
- Road washouts and continued rain forecasts that could delay full search and recovery efforts.