Flash Flood and Flooding in Missouri, March 18 to 21, 2008

Historic flooding occurred after 12 to 14 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. One man was killed in Marble Hill when his pickup truck was swept off a highway into Crooked Creek. Most of the major highways in the county were closed for at least part of the day. Evacuations were conducted in some places, especially in Glenallen. About 23 people were rescued from a subdivision near Zalma due to flooding of the Castor River. Evacuation shelters were opened. Numerous water rescues were conducted around the county. Marble Hill was described as cut in half by severe flooding of Crooked Creek, which rose 8 to 10 feet above a major state highway into town. Much of Marble Hill was inundated. Schools were closed, businesses shut down, and campgrounds were evacuated. Many gravel roads were washed out, and many small bridges were destroyed. Initial estimates were that 75 percent of the county's roads were damaged. The emergency management director for the county reported 14 businesses and 15 homes in Marble Hill suffered severe damage. Fifteen homes in Glenallen and 30 homes in Zalma were severely damaged. A school and other public buildings were extensively damaged. A mobile home was washed away and smashed into trees.

Historic flooding struck much of Butler County. At least 1,000 people in the county were displaced from their homes by flooding. U.S. Coast Guard boats and helicopters from as far away as New Orleans assisted in evacuation efforts. The helicopters airlifted 37 people and six dogs to safety. Several of those evacuated were from Coon Island. In northwest parts of the county, an elderly couple along JJ Highway were stranded on the roof of their home. An industrial park was inaccessible due to flooding of Pike Creek. Numerous evacuations were conducted by law enforcement and fire personnel. Broken levees along the Black River and other rivers inundated large parts of the county. Several families in Qulin were forced from their homes, although it was not immediately clear which river or creek was causing the flooding. Long-time local residents had never witnessed such an event. Shelters were established at the Black River coliseum, a church, and a family center. About 70 percent of the roads in the county were impassable at one point. Countywide, at least 142 homes were damaged, and 26 were destroyed.

Historic flooding occurred after 12 to 14 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. Widespread flooding of creeks and roads occurred. A dramatic water rescue was conducted on Highway 34 at the Byrd Creek Bridge, where a pickup truck was swept off the road. A passing driver made a risky attempt to pull the driver to safety. Nobody was injured. At least four vehicles in other areas around the county became stranded in floodwaters, requiring emergency personnel to conduct water rescues. The county emergency management director estimated that 200 homes and 13 businesses were evacuated. Evacuation shelters were opened in the county. The villages of Allenville and Delta were under voluntary evacuation orders. Access to Allenville was restricted by deputy sheriffs. A Coast Guard helicopter and boat assisted in search and rescue operations. Residents on a couple of streets in Cape Girardeau were asked to evacuate due to the potential failure of an earthen dam. Mudslides closed several streets. In Dutchtown, water rose over the top of the Hubble Creek levee. Some residents were ordered to evacuate, and major roads leading into town were closed. Throughout the county, a number of vehicles and buildings were flooded, including a school. More than 50 county roads were severely affected by the flood, including washouts of culverts and roadways. The Cape Girardeau airport shut down operations to all but emergency helicopters because of flooded runways. Countywide, at least 184 homes were damaged and one was destroyed. Eleven businesses were damaged.

Major flooding was responsible for numerous water rescues. Van Buren police and Carter County sheriff personnel rescued 10 to 20 people. Two people were trapped in a camper trailer floating on Highway D near Van Buren. Two other people got in trouble trying to rescue them. Another six people were rescued from Hurricane Creek. Both the rescuers and the victims required additional help when the rescue boat flipped over. At least one or two bridges were washed out in eastern parts of the county. Severe road washouts were reported in western parts of the county. Countywide, at least 17 homes were damaged, and one was destroyed. Eight businesses were damaged.

Major flooding occurred across the county as a result of widespread heavy rainfall. A couple of water rescues were conducted on Route B due to vehicles getting stranded in floodwater. U.S. Highway 61 was closed at the Cape Girardeau County border. Apple Creek reached the bottom of the bridge. Numerous county roads were flooded. Several mudslides occurred on Highway 51 near McBride. Numerous people around the county were stranded in their homes or cut off from returning to them. Near Biehle, an elderly man was rescued from his home by firefighters. Widespread standing water was observed in Perryville due to overflowing sewers. A few streets were closed in Perryville.

Major flooding was responsible for numerous reports of people stranded in homes. A co-operative observer in Doniphan measured 8.30 inches of rain on March 17 and 18. Firefighters and deputy sheriffs worked for over 24 hours conducting evacuations and rescues by boat. Between 15 and 20 persons were rescued. The Doniphan Police Department received more than 1,600 calls about the flooding in 24 hours. Several churches were opened to provide shelter. Several propane tanks floating in the water were tied up. Numerous roads were closed, including U.S. Highway 160. Some families were stranded for days because roads were flooded by creeks such as Bills Creek, Simpson Creek, and Isaacs Creek. A water rescue was conducted when a pickup truck stalled in floodwaters on Highway 142 near Naylor. Two teenage boys in a small boat took the motorist to dry land, but not before they were nearly overpowered by the current. Damage to county gravel roads was extensive. One gravel road was washed out to a depth of five feet. One bridge on a county road was extensively damaged. Countywide, at least 15 homes were damaged, and two were destroyed. Eleven businesses were damaged.

Major flooding occurred, causing a number of road closures. Numerous roads were underwater. The Castor River experienced severe flooding. Four breaches were reported along a levee on the Castor River near Aquilla. The breaches were 12 to 25 feet in length. The resulting flooding forced emergency crews to rescue at least one family. The Castor River came up to the base of the Highway 25 bridge at Aquilla. West of Advance, the community of Greenbrier was flooded by the Castor River. Water was three and a half feet deep inside a church in Greenbrier, about six inches higher than the flood of 1982. The 1982 flood was considered the worst in memory for longtime local residents. Thousands of sandbags were stacked around Circle City. A business was sandbagged in Puxico. A pickup truck was swept off a street in Dexter. Another hard hit town was Advance, where at least a few homes were flooded when diversion channel ditches overflowed. Two water rescues were conducted, including one on Highway N near Bell City. A levee failed near Painton, washing the pavement off Highway O and flooding many acres of farmland. Countywide, at least 33 homes were damaged, and 12 others were destroyed.

The hardest hit community during this historic flood was Piedmont. Between 200 and 300 homes and businesses were flooded in the town of about 2,000 residents. Severe flash flooding of McKenzie Creek inundated over one-third of the town. All buildings in southern Piedmont were flooded, along with homes within two blocks on either side of Main Street. All major roads were closed leading into Piedmont. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the entire town of Piedmont. Three law enforcement agencies rushed boats into the area to help with evacuations. Hundreds of people were evacuated, including some by boat. Shelters were opened at a church and a school for evacuees. Vehicles and propane tanks were among the items that littered roads after the floodwaters receded. The force of the floodwaters broke windows and even tore bricks off one building. A major water line was washed out, leaving Piedmont without water. Schools closed early, but students were held at the schools due to major flood hazards. Across the county, U.S. Highway 67 from Route 34 to Greenville was among five flooded sections of state highways that were closed. The county sheriff department received hundreds of calls from people stranded in vehicles and homes. Local residents characterized the flooding as the worst in their memory. At the height of the flooding, road transportation across the county was difficult or impossible. Two schools were cut off by floodwaters while school was in session. Two bridges were closed due to washouts. A section of railroad track was washed out. Phone service and water service was disrupted in parts of the county. Severe flooding inundated a subdivision five miles south of Piedmont along the Black River, where water reached the eaves of several homes. About 30 people were rescued by boat from that subdivision, and several of those were rescued from trees after a boat sank. The town of Williamsville was partially evacuated in an area close to Williams Creek.

Northern portions of the county received the most rain and the worst flooding. Main Street and numerous side streets were closed in Scott City. In Scott City, a mudslide forced the closure of Route AB. In Chaffee, 48 residents were evacuated from a nursing home. Much of Chaffee was under water, flooding a car wash and a church. Across the county, at least 38 homes and businesses sustained at least some damage. Sandbagging was done around a house threatened by floodwaters on Route EE. Water spilled over the top of a levee on Caney Creek, flooding farmland. One bridge was damaged beyond repair. Another bridge approach was washed out. At least a dozen mudslides were cleared from roads. Numerous culverts were washed out.

Many streets were flooded in East Prairie. Almost one million dollars in damage occurred to public infrastructure such as roads. A rainfall total of 4.32 inches was measured at the airport near East Prairie.

Several county roads were closed. U.S. Highway 61 was closed south of Sikeston. One home and two businesses sustained minor damage.

A levee failure occurred along Cane Creek, trapping people for at least a short time due to blocked roads.