Key takeaways:
- Eight Missouri National Guard Black Hawk helicopters evacuated 202 campers and counselors from Camp Taum Sauk in Lesterville after roads were cut off by flooding.
- The flooding affected Crawford, Iron, Madison, Reynolds and Wayne counties, with Gov. Mike Kehoe calling it a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event in some locations.
- Officials reported no major injuries or fatalities, but a Crawford County woman was missing after a house she was in was swept from its foundation.
More than 200 children and staff were flown to safety from a southeastern Missouri summer camp after record flooding washed out roads, swept away a house and forced rescues from trees, rooftops and stranded vehicles.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said the Missouri National Guard mobilized eight Black Hawk helicopters to evacuate 202 campers and counselors from Camp Taum Sauk in Lesterville, in Reynolds County, after 6 to 12 inches of rain fell Friday. The Army National Guard flew the children and staff to a nearby elementary school to reunite them with their families, Sgt. Eddie Young of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said, according to The Guardian.
The camp thanked emergency crews late Friday in an Instagram post, saying: “We are beyond thankful for your help keeping our camp community safe.”
The flooding hit several counties in southeastern Missouri, including Crawford, Iron, Madison, Reynolds and Wayne, and amounted to “a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event in some of these locations,” Kehoe said. He declared a state of emergency and activated one of the state’s search-and-rescue teams to help with the response.
“Missouri’s first responders once again answered the call with extraordinary bravery, professionalism, and compassion, rescuing hundreds of Missourians from dangerous floodwaters,” Kehoe said in a statement. “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.”
At the Bearcat Getaway campground near the Black River, about 85 miles south of St. Louis, about 20 people climbed onto a building to escape the rising water before it collapsed, The Guardian reported. Young said the structure failed under the strain.
“Between the weight and the constant waters underneath it, it just gave way on them,” he said.
Three other people who became trapped in trees on the Black River in Reynolds County were rescued Friday evening, Young said. In the same county, two rescue boats capsized in the floodwaters, but other emergency personnel safely recovered the responders, the sheriff’s office said, according to The Guardian.
Officials reported no major injuries or fatalities. A woman in Crawford County, about 71 miles southwest of St. Louis, was missing after floodwaters swept a house from its foundation while she was inside, Young said.
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for the region as repeated thunderstorms drenched the area. Matt Beitscher, a lead meteorologist with the weather service office in St. Louis, said the affected counties draw many visitors to campgrounds and float trip sites.
“It’s very, very popular place for recreation,” Beitscher said. “So there are campgrounds there. There are float trip locations there. A lot of vulnerable populations that would be susceptible to flash flooding.”
The weather service warned that more heavy rain overnight into Saturday morning could bring “considerable flood impacts,” The Guardian reported.
Several major roads remained impassable because of flooding and damage, Kehoe said. He also warned that the Black River was still rising and was expected to crest at more than 28 feet near Annapolis in southeastern Missouri, which would set a record for the waterway.
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