Johnson’s Shut-Ins campground in Missouri is seen underwater as the area is slammed by extreme flash flooding. Campers in the area reportedly climbed trees to escape the rising waters.
Southeastern Missouri was hit hard by flash flooding on Friday as heavy rain caused rivers and creeks to surpass their banks and wreak havoc on local communities.
Photos and videos from Reynolds County showed the Black River rising to fill homes, forcing campers in nearby campgrounds to evacuate in the middle of the night and seek higher ground.
People evacuated from campgrounds around the Black River in Lesterville, MO.
(Katie Poliette-Hultberg/Facebook / FOX Weather)
The Fenton Fire Protection District told FOX Weather that state taskforce rescue crews saved 40 people, including children, stranded at the Black River Lodge in Lesterville.
Swiftwater rescue teams stage in Lesterville, Missouri, amid Flash Flood Emergency
(Fenton Fire Protection District / FOX Weather)
Portions of southeastern Missouri received more than a foot of rain in less than 12 hours.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe issued a State of Emergency and activated the state’s Emergency Operations Plan to assist with the ongoing flood response and in anticipation of more potential flooding through the weekend as more rain is expected.
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Southeastern Missouri has seen ongoing flash flooding Friday morning as rivers and creeks rose during a Flash Flood Emergency. Video from Reynolds County shows water rushing through the river.
Specialized swift water rescue teams from across Missouri have deployed to assist communities in Crawford, Reynolds and Iron counties following the catastrophic flash flooding.
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Task Force 3, representing the St. Louis metropolitan area, Task Force 5, serving Jefferson and Franklin counties, and members of Missouri Task Force 1 are actively conducting rescue operations in some of the hardest-hit areas, the Fenton Fire Protection District said.
A Flash Flood Emergency has been issued in Southern Missouri, where submerged campgrounds have reportedly forced campers to climb trees to avoid the rising waters.
Residents shared photos of the flooding, with homes underwater and vehicles flooded.
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Another angle of a flooded home in Lesterville, Missouri.
(Amber Dean WIlkins) -
A flooded building in Lesterville, MO.
(Amber Dean WIlkins) -
A horse stands in flooding with a truck sinking behind it in Lesterville, MO.
(Katie Poliette-Hultberg/Facebook) -
Several people stand around a campground site near Black River in Lesterville, MO, which is badly flooded.
(Amber Dawn Wilkins/Facebook) -
Home almost completely flooded in Lesterville, Missouri.
(Amber Dawn Wilkins/Facebook) -
Floodwaters swamp home in Elvins, Missouri on July 10, 2026.
(Danielle Love/Facebook) -
Homes were flooded in Annapolis, Missouri, early Friday as creek waters washed over local roads and bridges.
(Annapolis MO/Facebook)
Earlier Friday morning, an official at a regional emergency dispatch center in Ellisville, Missouri, told FOX Weather that campers needed rescue at multiple campgrounds in Reynolds and Iron counties. Initial calls indicated some had climbed trees to escape rising floodwaters.
Multiple campgrounds in the area were closed for the weekend due to the flash flooding, including Meramec State Park and Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park.
More photos showed the high floodwaters of the Black River, which broke a record, cresting at over 28 feet.
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The FOX Forecast Center said a flash flood threat remains in effect for much of southern Missouri on both Saturday and Sunday, as more rain and storms pass through the region.
Stay with FOX Weather as we continue to monitor the situation in Southeast Missouri with the ongoing flood threat.
