By Hallie Golden and Kristin Hall
Associated Press
LESTERVILLE, Mo. — A woman was found dead in Missouri on Saturday after heavy rainfall battered parts of the state the previous day, forcing numerous emergency rescues and evacuations, including at a summer camp with more than 200 children.
Several other states also faced the potential for severe thunderstorms and flash flooding as the slow-moving storms moved southward.
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The National Weather Service said the severe weather impacted a wide region stretching from the Ozark Mountains in southern Missouri eastward into much of the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys.
The service said the storms could bring damaging winds, heavy rainfall and scattered flash flooding to the multistate region, with some places seeing impacts into Sunday. In eastern Tennessee, flooding closed some roads and downed power lines, and authorities from Kentucky to West Virginia told people to be ready to seek higher ground.
Missouri’s Emergency Management Agency warned that while the storms move south and out of the state, further thunderstorms could still bring additional flash flooding, especially in areas that have already received 6 and 12 inches (15 and 30 centimeters) of rain.
Summer campers rescued as floodwaters rose
Friday’s drenching rains washed away roads around Camp Taum Sauk, trapping children and staff at the site in the small southeastern community of Lesterville, according Sgt. Eddie Young, with the state’s highway patrol. The Army National Guard used Black Hawk helicopters to fly them to a nearby elementary school and reunite them with their families, he said.
The camp thanked emergency crews in a post on Instagram, saying, “We are beyond thankful for your help keeping our camp community safe.”
Meanwhile campers at the Bearcat Getaway campground near the Black River, about 85 miles (140 kilometers) south of St. Louis, climbed onto a building to get away from the raging waters but it then collapsed, Young said.
“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, Young said.
Missouri woman swept away in floodwaters
The body of Faith Gregory, who went missing in Crawford County after her home was swept away from its foundation, was found by volunteers late Saturday morning. Her body was discovered about 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) downstream from her residence in Huzzah Creek, according to the county sheriff’s office.
“This is not the outcome that any of us were hoping for. Our thoughts and prayers are with Faith’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
There was no longer anyone still unaccounted for in the county, which is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis.
The weather service issued flash flood warnings for the area as thunderstorms piled on one after another.
“It’s very, very popular place for recreation,” Matt Beitscher, a lead meteorologist with the NWS office in St. Louis, 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.”
Recovery efforts underway
Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency Friday and activated a search and rescue team to assist. He said late Friday that hundreds of people were 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 continued to rise and was expected to crest at more than 28 feet (8.5 meters) near Annapolis in southeastern Missouri, which would be a record.
“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.
In Reynolds County, two rescue boats capsized in the flooding, but other emergency personnel safely recovered the responders, the sheriff’s office said.
