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Pastor's family trapped in MO River flooding

Posted at 4:23 PM, Dec 31, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-31 19:55:53-05

Last Saturday, Pastor Kathy Symes, with Great Plains United Methodists in Wellsville, went home to celebrate Christmas with her younger sisters.

Within a few days she found herself trapped, surrounded by water.

"You can't get around, you know the highways are shut down, we went and took pictures of you know of actual, there's boats upside down, a friend of mine took a picture of house that was just floating down the river," said Symes.

She eventually found a way out, adding an hour to her drive back home.

When she got back-she found out her younger sister Karen was trapped in her home in Pacific, Missouri.

"Knowing that my sister was there by herself with no electricity was really upsetting," said Symes.

The power has since been turned back on, but here sister still cannot leave her home.

Her two other younger sisters, Kim and Kelly, live in Eureka. Their homes are safe. Karen’s home will also be safe.

"They feel guilty because they're ok, they're houses are ok, but they all have people that they work with and friends who have lost their homes, so it's been difficult being away," said Symes.

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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com.

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