Hundreds of people, including young campers, were rescued across Missouri Friday as flash flooding from a once-in-a-millennium deluge transformed rivers into raging torrents.
A series of thunderstorms dumped between 6 and 12 inches of rain across southeast Missouri in what officials have described as a 1-in-1000-year rainfall event.
The historic overnight downpour prompted Gov. Mike Kehoe to declare a state of emergency and activate one of the state’s largest search and rescue efforts.
The Black River and neighboring streams in southeast Missouri were overwhelmed by the deluge, endangering swarms of residents and summer vacationers.
More than 200 water rescues were conducted across the region, Kehoe said.
Victims were stranded in flood waters, on trees and rooftops and in vehicles.
Around 200 stranded campers were swiftly rescued and airlifted out to safety by National Guard helicopters Friday afternoon from the Camp Taum Stauk in the hammered region of Reynolds County, according to State Highway Patrol Sergeant Eddie Young.
Half of the evacuees rescued from the summer youth camp, which is located 100 miles south of St. Louis, were children and the rest were camp counselors and staff, Young confirmed.
Elsewhere in Reynolds County, around 20 people were swept away after a building at the Bearcat Gateway Campground collapsed from the weight of the stranded campers who had climbed on top of the roof to escape from the raging flood waters, Young said.
Another three people were rescued from trees along the Black River in Reynolds County.
There were 20 to 30 people reported missing throughout the battered Reynolds County, including the campers swept away from Bearcat Gateway Campground, but by Friday evening, all were either rescued or turned up safe.
So far there have been no fatalities or serious injuries reported.
But one woman in Crawford County, located 71 miles southwest of St. Louis, remains missing after the house she was in was swept away from its foundation by the floodwaters.
“Missouri’s first responders once again answered the call with extraordinary bravery, professionalism, and compassion, rescuing hundreds of Missourians from dangerous floodwaters,” Kehoe said.
“As recovery efforts continue and additional rain is expected, I urge everyone in flood-prone and low-lying areas to stay weather-aware, have multiple ways of receiving alerts, and be ready to take protective action.”
Eight states have posted flood watches for over 21 million people from Missouri to Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the National Weather Service.
Additional showers were expected on Friday night across the rain-saturated region, though the weather service warned that “considerable flood impacts will be likely” if southeastern Missouri experiences further heavy rain overnight into Saturday morning.
With Post wires
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