A thousand-year flood dumped up to a foot of rain on southeastern Missouri overnight, forcing hundreds of water rescues and leaving at least one woman missing — while the federal government that promised infrastructure protection sends billions overseas and into green energy boondoggles.
Six to twelve inches of rain overwhelmed the Black River and surrounding waterways in what the National Weather Service called a once-in-a-millennium rainfall event. Governor Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency and activated the Missouri National Guard, which deployed eight Black Hawk helicopters to pull stranded residents from rooftops, trees, and vehicles. More than 200 water rescues were conducted across the region.
The worst scenes played out at two camps in Reynolds County, roughly 100 miles south of St. Louis. At Camp Taum Stauk, National Guard helicopters evacuated 202 people — about half children, the rest counselors and staff — according to State Highway Patrol Sergeant Eddie Young. At the Bearcat Gateway Campground, a building collapsed under the weight of campers who had climbed onto the roof to escape floodwaters, sweeping roughly 20 people into the torrent. Three others were rescued from trees along the Black River.
By Friday evening, all 20 to 30 people reported missing in Reynolds County had been found safe. But in Crawford County, 71 miles southwest of St. Louis, one woman remains missing after floodwaters swept her house off its foundation. No fatalities have been reported so far.
"Over the past 24 hours, intense storms have created dangerous flash flooding across several regions of Missouri, resulting in multiple swift-water rescues," Kehoe said in a statement.
Sheriff Chuck Helton of Iron County said officials started receiving distress calls at 3 a.m. About 100 people were rescued in Iron County and neighboring Reynolds County alone. Alex Elmore, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office in St. Charles, called the rainfall totals "extremely rare" for the area.
The flooding stretches far beyond Missouri. Flood watches cover more than 21 million people across eight states — Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — with the National Weather Service warning that "considerable flood impacts will be likely" if the rain-soaked region gets more heavy rain overnight into Saturday.
The New York Times covered the rescues and the meteorological data straight. The New York Post added the harrowing detail of the Bearcat Gateway Campground collapse and the broader multi-state flood watch footprint. Neither outlet raised the question of where federal infrastructure dollars actually go when communities like these face predictable, devastating flooding.
Washington has committed hundreds of billions to foreign aid and green energy subsidies in recent years. Meanwhile, Missouri communities dependent on levees, flood control, and aging storm infrastructure were left calling 911 at 3 a.m. when the water came.
Kehoe praised the state's first responders for answering "the call with extraordinary bravery, professionalism, and compassion." They did. The question is why they had to answer it alone.
