Heavy rainfall hammered parts of Missouri on Friday, triggering widespread emergency rescues and evacuations — including a dramatic helicopter airlift of more than 200 children and staff from a summer camp. One person remains unaccounted for as the state continues to deal with the aftermath.
Washed-out roads left Camp Taum Sauk completely cut off in the small southeastern Missouri community of Lesterville, according to Sgt. Eddie Young of the state highway patrol. Army National Guard helicopters — specifically Black Hawks — were deployed to fly the campers and staff to a nearby elementary school, where they were reunited with their families.
The camp expressed its gratitude to emergency crews in a late Friday Instagram post, writing: “We are beyond thankful for your help keeping our camp community safe.”
At a separate location, campers at the Bearcat Getaway campground near the Black River — roughly 85 miles south of St. Louis — had climbed onto a building to escape the rising floodwaters when the structure gave way beneath them. “Between the weight and the constant waters underneath it, it just gave away on them,” Young said.
Three additional people were rescued Friday evening after becoming stranded in trees along the Black River in Reynolds County, Young added.
No major injuries or deaths have been reported, but a woman identified as Faith Gregory has been missing since the house she was in was carried off its foundation by floodwaters in Crawford County, approximately 71 miles southwest of St. Louis. Young confirmed Saturday that Gregory remains the only person still unaccounted for in the county. Family and friends have taken to social media to resume their search and ask others to watch for Gregory and her dogs, who are also believed to have been swept away.
The National Weather Service had issued flash flood warnings for the region as wave after wave of thunderstorms rolled through. Matt Beitscher, a lead meteorologist with the NWS office in St. Louis, noted the area’s vulnerability. “It’s very, very popular place for recreation,” he said. “So there are campgrounds there. There are float trip locations there. A lot of vulnerable populations that would be susceptible to flash flooding.”
Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency and activated one of the state’s search and rescue teams. He reported late Friday that hundreds of people had been pulled to safety from floodwaters, trees, rooftops, and stranded vehicles.
Kehoe also warned that the Black River continues to rise and is expected to crest at more than 28 feet near Annapolis in southeastern Missouri — a level that would set a new record for the waterway. Several major roads remain impassable due to flood damage.
“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 during the emergency response, though all personnel involved were safely recovered by other responders, according to the sheriff’s office.
The threat is not limited to Missouri. The National Weather Service warned that slow-moving storms are shifting southward and could bring damaging winds, heavy rain, and scattered flash flooding across a broad region stretching from the Ozark Mountains through much of the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys — with some areas facing impacts into Sunday.
Missouri’s Emergency Management Agency cautioned that even as the storms exit the state, additional thunderstorms could still trigger more flash flooding, particularly in areas that have already received between 6 and 12 inches of rain.
