Dozens rescued in southeastern Missouri as 1-in-1,000-year rainfall triggers catastrophic flooding

By Meteorologist Mary Gilbert, and CNN’s Kate S. Petersen

(CNN) — Dozens of people have been rescued from catastrophic flooding in southeastern Missouri, including some camping along a river that swelled to historic heights.

Reynolds County emergency services are currently responding to a reported building collapse at Bearcat Getaway Campground, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Search and rescue operations are underway for 10 to 17 people “who may have entered the floodwater” in the collapse.

Five campers at the same campground who were initially reported missing have been accounted for, county Sheriff Caleb McCoy told CNN Friday afternoon. Around 10 others in the county were rescued from the rooftop of the Black River Lodge, county Emergency Coordinator Steve Chitwood said.

Crews have conducted around 90 water rescues “involving residents, campers and motorists,” as of Friday afternoon according to the Reynolds County Sheriff’s Office release, but “no serious injuries have been reported.”

In nearby Crawford County, at least one person is unaccounted for, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post. Crews are searching using “ground teams, watercraft, and aerial drone operations,” according to the post, and “the search area remains extremely dangerous due to high water, swift currents, and unstable conditions.” At least three others were rescued in the county.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency — the highest level of flood warning — for more than 4,000 people in parts of Reynolds and Iron counties early Friday morning. The floodwater inundated areas around the Black River as it rose rapidly to an all-time record high of 28.7 feet.

First responders rescued two people from a cabin by boat, Iron County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jordan Otwell told CNN Friday morning. Another five people were rescued by boat from the rooftop of a mobile home in another area of the county, he said.

Otwell did not know how many people in total had taken refuge on the roof, but said the boat was scheduled to return to the rooftop to pick up more people. There have been no reported injuries in Iron County, but around six area highways were closed due to flooding, he said.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon, saying dangerous flooding has led to “multiple swift-water rescues.”

“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,” Kehoe said.

The torrential rain that prompted the initial flood warning has ended, but the flash flood emergency remains in effect for much of Friday afternoon due to lingering flooding issues. Additional rain is possible in the area late Friday and over the weekend.

More than a foot of rain has fallen since Thursday evening in rural Missouri. A location near Redmondville, Missouri — about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis — measured 12.25 inches of rain since Thursday evening.

More than a foot of rain in less than 24 hours means this highly localized, ongoing event is at least a 1-in-1000-year flood for the area. This rate of rainfall only has a 0.1% chance of happening in a given year, under normal circumstances. But such extreme rainfall is becoming more common as planet-warming pollution pushes temperatures higher because warmer air holds more moisture.

The heavy rain Friday is just the start of a multiday flood threat that’s expected to impact areas from the Mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys to the central Appalachians through this weekend.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN Meteorologist Chris Dolce contributed to this report.