Missouri flooding kills one, prompts helicopter rescue of 202 campers

Eight Missouri National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifted 202 children and counselors out of Camp Taum Sauk in Reynolds County and carried them to Arcadia Valley Elementary School, where families were waiting to reunite with them. The evacuation came as floodwaters swept through south-central and southeastern Missouri, where one woman was found dead, another woman in her 20s remained missing from Davisville in Crawford County, and more than 200 water rescues were carried out across the region.

Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency on Friday, July 10, 2026, activating the Missouri State Emergency Operations Plan to coordinate state and local response. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for portions of Reynolds and Iron counties after severe storms dumped about 6 to 11 inches of rain overnight, with some spots taking on more than a foot.

More than 350 people were pulled from floodwaters across three Missouri counties. In some areas, a campground building collapsed into the floodwaters.

The flooding also battered campgrounds in Lesterville, where families who had spent years building out seasonal sites saw them washed away in hours. Nancy Dotson said five years of work creating a family campsite had been destroyed by the floodwaters.

The Missouri National Guard used eight Black Hawks and roughly 35 crewmembers to carry out the camp rescue, while ground crews handled other flood calls across Reynolds, Iron and Crawford counties.

More severe thunderstorms and flash flooding could affect the Ozark Mountains and the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys into Sunday.