# Devastating floods in Southeastern Missouri **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 11, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604 "2026-07-11T19:15:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/1 "2026-07-11T19:15:18Z")
Is MPSIMS the place for posts about disasters? Anyway Thursday night into Friday morning parts of Southeastern Missouri, particularly parts of Iron and Reynolds Counties, endured severe flash flooding due to hours of torrential rains. The area sits at the top of the Missouri Ozarks, so low-lying areas had no chance. To make matters worse, it’s the height of tourist season, meaning riverside campgrounds were packed with visitors in town for canoeing and kayaking. My nephew and his wife were two such campers. Fortunately they were able to evacuate and drive home. Other campgrounds, including a couple with dozens of children, weren’t so lucky. I’ve seen photos of kids in life jackets sitting on top of cars as the waters were inching up around them. Fortunately they were all rescued. Meanwhile the town of Davisville, just a few miles from me, is gone. Everything washed down the river. At least one person (a Davisville woman) has died, and several others missing last I heard. Bridges are out all over the place. Mrs. H and I are fine. Our electricity has been out since 0330 Friday and we’ve been sheltering at her mom’s. Our electricity utility expects our power to be restored by tonight. The extent of our loss is a fridge of rotten food and some cats whose routine has been disrupted. This is far from the worst natural disaster that I’ve lived through (that would be the Springfield tornadoes of 2006) but this has certainly been rough for quite a few people. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/2 "2026-07-11T21:27:22Z")
Yikes. Glad you’re OK. Sorry that many others aren’t. I don’t know much about that area. What contributed to the extent of the damage? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/3 "2026-07-11T21:45:42Z")
Intensity of the storm, doubtless leveled up by Climate Change, plus hilly terrain with lots of low lying areas. I think I read that we got like ten inches in four hours. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/4 "2026-07-11T22:53:49Z")
Is Oregon County involved? I know some people who live there (or did, they’ve fallen out of touch since the wife got seriously ill). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/5 "2026-07-11T23:44:24Z")
Yes, but only about a tenth as bad as Reynolds and Iron Counties got it. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/6 "2026-07-12T00:09:00Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I think I read that we got like ten inches in four hours. Ack! That’s awful! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/7 "2026-07-12T00:28:14Z")
it really is, and exactly the kind of thing we are going to see more of as the climate warms. 😟 ---
**Author:** ![knavette57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knavette57/32/3871_2.png) [@knavette57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knavette57)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/8 "2026-07-12T00:37:45Z")
I have done float trips on all the rivers that they have mentioned. The fury of these waterways when too much rainfall attacks them is to be taken seriously. I have seen these sparkling little waterways become dangerous torrents of debris and current quite quickly (I had to vacate a camping area once when this occurred – well, before it occurred really, we didn’t stick around long enough to be swept away, we had been listening to a weather radio and rather than be sorry, we decided to be safe). Somehow, this reminds me of the flood in TX last year, and I fear we will have more of these every summer (floods and heat waves). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/9 "2026-07-12T00:47:31Z")
St. Louis was just barely on the edge of those storms. His what was happening at the Braves-Cardinals game at that time. [https://x.com/IngramRadio/status/2075753484645814614/video/1](https://x.com/IngramRadio/status/2075753484645814614/video/1) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/10 "2026-07-12T00:55:07Z")
Just brutal: > **[One dead, hundreds rescued in devastating Missouri flooding - UPI.com](https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/11/missouri-flooding/2561783812440/)** > > More than 350 people were rescued in Iron, Reynolds and Crawford counties in Missouri as floodwaters rapidly took over the area, killing at least one. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/11 "2026-07-12T01:29:54Z")
The woman who died, Faith Gregory, I had crossed paths with her once or twice. We by no means new each other, but I recognized her picture, and then a woman who used to work with her at our town grocery store posted about her death on FB. Then I put two and two together: she worked for a while anyway at our town grocery store. So I’ve definitely crossed paths with her. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/12 "2026-07-12T17:06:48Z")
Here is some day after video of Lesterville: > **[Historic Flooding Devastates along Black River Near Lesterville, MO - Search...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQj7qoI0Xis%2F)** > > Historic flooding along the Black River in Southeast Missouri has left widespread devastation around and south of Lesterville.Search and rescue operations we... ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/13 "2026-07-12T20:15:17Z")
How did they have life jackets at hand in Missouri? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/14 "2026-07-12T21:24:26Z")
I don’t understand. Boating (canoeing, kayaking) is a huge industry around here. Life jackets are ubiquitous. Especially for chikdlren. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/15 "2026-07-12T23:13:10Z")
Ah, I had no idea they were boating, I thought is was Ozark mountains. I’ve not been in Northern Arkansas or Missouri often. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devastating-floods-in-southeastern-missouri/1031604/16 "2026-07-13T02:53:37Z")
The Ozarks are full of rivers, streams, and lakes - both natural and manmade.