Emergency crews across south-central Missouri have shifted from rescue operations to damage assessments and recovery efforts after historic flash flooding prompted hundreds of rescues and caused extensive damage over the weekend.
Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency Friday after 6 to 12 inches of rain fell in parts of Iron and Reynolds counties, triggering widespread flooding across the region.
One of the largest rescue operations occurred near Lesterville in southeast Missouri, where the Missouri National Guard airlifted 202 campers and counselors from a summer camp that became surrounded by rising floodwaters overnight Friday into Saturday.
Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Mark James said the rescue was made possible by a fortunate set of circumstances. Eight Black Hawk helicopters were training nearby when emergency officials realized they might be needed for evacuations.
“So, when I reached out to General Houseman and said, by chance, would you have any Blackhawks available?” James said. “He responded very quickly and said, actually, we do, which I view that a little bit as an act of God, frankly, because normally that would not have been a resource available to us.”
James also credited the coordinated response among state and local agencies as floodwaters rapidly rose overnight.
“As the waters were rising to 2:30 in the morning, the Highway Patrol was sending swift water rescue teams,” James said. “All of the parts and pieces came together.”
As water levels fall, emergency managers are now focused on assessing damage to roads, bridges and other public infrastructure.
“There was a lot of damage to the public infrastructure, county roads, county low water bridges,” James said. “The county officials along with SEMA are doing damage assessments. We’ll see then if we qualify for federal assistance.”
The flooding also turned deadly. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department said a woman who went missing during flash flooding was found dead Saturday about 1.8 miles downstream from her home.
State officials continue to monitor conditions and assess whether federal disaster assistance will be needed as recovery efforts continue.
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