Missouri flash flooding on Friday forced rescues, evacuations and emergency deployments across southeastern Missouri after heavy rain pushed rivers and creeks over their banks. State taskforce 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, and more rain was expected through the weekend. Mike Kehoe issued a State of Emergency and activated the state's Emergency Operations Plan as the flooding spread across Reynolds County and nearby areas.
Black River Lodge in Lesterville
The Fenton Fire Protection District said rescue crews reached the Black River Lodge in Lesterville and brought out 40 people who had been stranded, including children. Campers in nearby campgrounds were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night and seek higher ground as water rose along the Black River.
Residents shared photos showing homes underwater and vehicles flooded in Reynolds County. The Black River rose to fill homes there, while submerged campgrounds added another layer to the response as crews moved people out of low-lying areas.
Crawford, Reynolds and Iron counties
Specialized swift water rescue teams from across Missouri deployed to assist communities in Crawford, Reynolds and Iron counties. Task Force 3, Task Force 5 and members of Missouri Task Force 1 were conducting rescue operations in some of the hardest-hit areas.
A Flash Flood Emergency was issued in Southern Missouri as the flooding continued. The broad rescue response shows how quickly conditions spread beyond one campground or one county, with crews moving from one area to another as water kept rising.
Through the weekend
Campers reportedly had to climb trees to avoid the rising waters while rescue crews were still saving stranded people from the area. That detail points to the hardest question left by the flood response: how many campers and residents still needed help after the first round of rescues and evacuations.
With more rain expected through the weekend, people in affected areas were facing a second wave of risk before the ground and waterways had time to recover.
