Watch: Drone reveals devastating flash flooding sweeping through southeastern Missouri with more rain to come
Southeastern Missouri was hit hard by flash flooding on Friday morning as heavy rain caused rivers and creeks to surpass their banks and wreak havoc on local communities.
Southeastern Missouri was hit hard by flash flooding on Friday as heavy rain caused rivers and creeks to surpass their banks and wreak havoc on local communities.
Photos and videos from Reynolds County showed the Black River rising to fill homes, forcing campers in nearby campgrounds to evacuate in the middle of the night and seek higher ground.
The Missouri Regent C Incident Command tells FOX Weather that more than 351 rescues were performed as of 9:45 p.m. on Friday.
Of those rescues were 200 children from Camp Taum Sauk, which were relocated to St. Louis last night.
According to the Crawford County Sheriff's Office, a woman is missing after floodwaters entered her home.
The woman and her boyfriend called dispatch for assistance as the waters quickly rose around 3 a.m. As they tried to escape, a wall of the home collapsed and swept the woman away.
The search for the missing woman is resuming on Saturday morning.
"We'll continue with the ground search," Major Adam Carnal, the undersheriff of Crawford County Sheriff's Office, told FOX Weather. "We're using drones for an air search, and by water, as well, if able to."
The Fenton Fire Protection District told FOX Weather that state taskforce rescue crews saved 40 people, including children, stranded at the Black River Lodge in Lesterville.
Portions of southeastern Missouri received more than a foot of rain in less than 12 hours.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe issued a State of Emergency and activated the state's Emergency Operations Plan to assist with the ongoing flood response and in anticipation of more potential flooding through the weekend as more rain is expected.
KNOW YOUR FLOOD TERMINOLOGY: WHAT FLOOD WATCHES, WARNINGS AND EMERGENCIES REALLY MEAN
Specialized swift water rescue teams from across Missouri have deployed to assist communities in Crawford, Reynolds and Iron counties following the catastrophic flash flooding.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER
Task Force 3, representing the St. Louis metropolitan area, Task Force 5, serving Jefferson and Franklin counties, and members of Missouri Task Force 1 are actively conducting rescue operations in some of the hardest-hit areas, the Fenton Fire Protection District said.
Residents shared photos of the flooding, with homes underwater and vehicles flooded.
Earlier Friday morning, an official at a regional emergency dispatch center in Ellisville, Missouri, told FOX Weather that campers needed rescue at multiple campgrounds in Reynolds and Iron counties. Initial calls indicated some had climbed trees to escape rising floodwaters.
Multiple campgrounds in the area were closed for the weekend due to the flash flooding, including Meramec State Park and Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park.
More photos showed the high floodwaters of the Black River, which broke a record, cresting at over 28 feet.
HERE'S WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A FLOODED ROAD
The FOX Forecast Center said a flash flood threat remains in effect for much of southern Missouri on both Saturday and Sunday, as more rain and storms pass through the region.
Stay with FOX Weather as we continue to monitor the situation in Southeast Missouri with the ongoing flood threat.
The post Watch: Drone reveals devastating flash flooding sweeping through southeastern Missouri with more rain to come appeared first on Fox Weather
