Heavy rainfall and widespread flooding wreaked havoc across parts of Missouri on Friday, necessitating the helicopter evacuation of over 200 children and staff from a summer camp, alongside the rescue of approximately 20 individuals from a collapsed campground building. The severe weather left more than 200 children and staff stranded at Camp Taum Sauk in the small southeastern community of Lesterville, with nearby roads rendered impassable and further rain anticipated. The Army National Guard deployed Black Hawk helicopters to airlift them to a nearby elementary school, where they were reunited with their families.
Sgt. Eddie Young of the state’s highway patrol confirmed the successful evacuation, which was carried out to ensure the safety of those stranded at the camp. The camp later expressed its gratitude on Instagram, stating: “We are beyond thankful for your help keeping our camp community safe.” Meanwhile, campers at the Bearcat Getaway campground, situated near the Black River about 85 miles south of St. Louis, sought refuge from the raging waters by climbing onto a building. However, the structure subsequently collapsed, Sgt. Young confirmed.
“Between the weight and the constant waters underneath it, it just gave away on them,” he said. Three other people were trapped on trees on the Black River in Reynolds County and were rescued Friday evening, Young said. There have been no reports of major injuries or fatalities, but a woman in Crawford County, about 71 miles southwest of St. Louis, was missing after a house she was in was swept from its foundation by the flooding, Young said.
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for the area, which got between 6 and 12 inches of rain as thunderstorms piled on one after another, said Matt Beitscher, a lead meteorologist with the NWS office in St. Louis. “It’s very, very popular place for recreation,” Beitscher said of the affected counties. “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 if southeastern Missouri sees more heavy rains overnight into Saturday morning, “considerable flood impacts will be likely.” Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency and activated one of the state’s search and rescue teams to assist.
He said late Friday that hundreds of people had been saved from floodwaters, trees, rooftops, and stranded vehicles. Several major roads were impassable due to flooding and damage, Kehoe said, warning that the Black River continues to rise and is expected to crest at more than 28 feet near Annapolis in southeastern Missouri, which would be a record for the waterway. In Reynolds County, two rescue boats capsized in the flooding, but other emergency personnel safely recovered the responders, the sheriff’s office 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,” Kehoe said in a statement.
