Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon as heavy rainfall prompted widespread rescues across southeast Missouri, saying the dangerous flooding has resulted in "multiple swift-water rescues." Missouri Region C Incident Command reported more than 351 rescues as of 9:45 p.m. Friday.
Ernie Rhodes, leader of the federal search-and-rescue cooperative known as Missouri Task Force 1, said, "This is an unfolding event and we're going to stay here and serve the citizens of Missouri until we get the job done."
The Missouri National Guard mobilized eight Black Hawk helicopters to airlift 202 campers and counselors from Camp Taum Sauk in Lesterville after 6 to 12 inches of rain cut off all roads into the area, Kehoe said. "Missouri's first responders once again answered the call with extraordinary bravery, professionalism, and compassion, rescuing hundreds of Missourians from dangerous floodwaters," he said, and urged people to stay weather-aware, have multiple ways of receiving alerts, and be ready to take protective action.
Sgt. Eddie Young of the Missouri Highway Patrol said campers at the Bearcat Getaway Campground climbed onto a building to escape raging waters and the structure later collapsed. "Between the weight and the constant waters underneath it, it just gave away on them," he said. Initial reports from the Reynolds County Sheriff's Office indicated 10 to 17 people on the roof may have entered the water, but the highway patrol later said the campers were safe and had been rescued, and Sheriff Caleb McCoy said five campers who had been reported missing were accounted for.
County Emergency Coordinator Steve Chitwood said about 10 people were rescued from the rooftop of the Black River Lodge in Reynolds County, and responders pulled three people from trees along the Black River. The Reynolds County Sheriff's Office said two rescue boats capsized during the day's operations and that all on board were rescued, and the Missouri Highway Patrol said a rescue boat overturned after hitting an underwater cable.
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings and recorded heavy rain totals in the affected area. Matt Beitscher, a lead meteorologist with the NWS office in St. Louis, said thunderstorms produced between 6 and 12 inches of rain in parts of the region and noted the area is a "very, very popular place for recreation" with many vulnerable populations. Several major roads were impassable due to flooding and damage, officials said.
The Black River rose rapidly, with the river at Lesterville reported to have risen 8 feet in an hour as floodwaters worked toward Annapolis, and Kehoe warned the river was expected to crest at more than 28 feet near Annapolis, which would be a record for the waterway.
In Crawford County, authorities said one person remained missing after a residence was swept from its foundation; officials identified the missing person as a woman and said search efforts involving local and state agencies would resume Saturday morning after being suspended overnight.
Kehoe said activating the State Emergency Operations Plan would allow agencies to move quickly and coordinate resources, and he urged people in flood-prone and low-lying areas to move to higher ground and stay aware of weather conditions. He added that "hundreds of people had been saved from flood waters, trees, rooftops and stranded vehicles."
Kehoe said the flooding covered several counties, including Crawford, Iron, Madison, Reynolds and Wayne, and that some locations experienced what he called a "1-in-1,000-year rainfall event." Weather agencies warned of continued flash flood risk across the Mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys and the central Appalachians, with flood watches and a level 2 of 4 flash flood threat in place for parts of the region.