More than 200 people at a summer camp helicoptered to safety as Missouri faces flooding

One person remains missing in Missouri after heavy rainfall battered parts of the state on Friday, forcing numerous emergency rescues and evacuations, including at a summer camp with more than 200 children.

Several other states also face the potential for severe thunderstorms and flash flooding on Saturday as the slow-moving storms move southward.

The National Weather Service said the severe weather impacts 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.

Missouri’s Emergency Management Agency warned that while the storms are moving 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 flood waters 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 to 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 late Friday in a post on Instagram, saying, “We are beyond thankful for your help keeping our camp community safe.”

Meanwhile, the campers at the Bearcat Getaway campground near the Black River, about 85 miles (136 kilometers) south of St. Louis, had climbed onto a building to get away from the raging waters when it collapsed, Young said.

“Between the weight and the constant waters underneath it, it just gave way on them,” he said.

Three other people were trapped in trees on the Black River in Reynolds County and were rescued Friday evening, Young said.

Search continues for Missouri woman swept away in floodwaters

There have been no reports of major injuries or fatalities, but a woman in Crawford County was missing after a house she was in was swept from its foundation by the flooding.

Young confirmed Saturday that the woman, Faith Gregory, remains the only person reported missing still unaccounted for in the county, which is about 71 miles (114 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis.

Family and friends on social media said they had resumed their search and urged others to look out for Gregory and her dogs, who they say were also swept away.

The weather service had issued flash flood warnings for the area as thunderstorms piled on one after another.

“It’s a 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

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency and activated the state's search-and-rescue teams to assist.

The state of emergency was declared through Executive Order 26-16 signed by Gov. Kehoe on Friday. It was in response to flash flooding in central, south central and southeastern parts of Missouri, per a press release from the governor's office.

"Over the past 24 hours, intense storms have created dangerous flash flooding across several regions of Missouri, resulting in multiple swift-water rescues," Gov. Kehoe said in a press release Friday. "Activating the State Emergency Operations Plan allows our agencies to move quickly, coordinate resources, and support local response efforts. I'm grateful for every first responder and local team member working around the clock to help save lives."

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 (8.5 meters) 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.

On Saturday, a spokesperson with the American Red Cross Missouri-Arkansas said the Red Cross shelter that was set up in Centerville, Missouri, is now closed. The Red Cross is transitioning to damage assessment.

A second press release from the governor's office late Friday night praised the work of emergency responders. The flash flooding has resulted in more than 200 water rescues across the region so far, according to a press release.

“This effort reflects the very best of our state emergency response teams,” Gov. Kehoe said. “Countless men and women, across multiple jurisdictions, have been working around the clock with one mission in mind: saving lives. We are grateful for their service and will continue supporting communities as response and recovery efforts move forward.”

Kehoe's executive order expires on Aug. 10.

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