NEWS

Weekend storm leads to two deaths in Greene County

Harrison Keegan
HKEEGAN@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Officials said Sunday a slow-moving storm passing through southwest Missouri is responsible for at least two deaths in Greene County.

A block of East Monroe Street in Springfield was blocked off Sunday due to flooding.

Chet Hunter, executive director of the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management, said that from midnight Saturday to early Sunday afternoon there were 104 water rescues, 198 traffic control issues and two fatalities in the county associated with the lengthy storm.

Hunter said the first fatality occurred Saturday evening when a tow truck driver went to retrieve a vehicle that had gone off the roadway near Farm Road 112 and Farm Road 125. The tow truck driver was electrocuted by a downed power line, according to Hunter.

According to a press release from the Greene County Sheriff, the tow truck driver was 60-year-old Edward Kammerer.

The second fatality occurred early Sunday morning near Highway CC and Farm Road 141 in Ebenezer. Hunter said a driver tried to cross a flooded area, but the vehicle was swept three-quarters of a mile downstream and the motorist was killed.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the driver as Steven L. Welton, 42, of Springfield.

The intersection of Grand Street and Jefferson Avenue on Sunday afternoon.

"If you don't have to be out, don't be out," Hunter said. "If you do have to be out, give yourself extra time and make sure you have alternate routes."

Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency because of the widespread flooding. By early evening, more than 400 roads in the state were closed, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

"Widespread flooding and continued rainfall are causing very dangerous conditions across much of central and southern Missouri," Nixon said in an emailed release. "Multiple fatalities due to flash flooding have already been reported, and I urge Missourians in flood-affected areas to stay alert, avoid travel if possible and never drive into a flooded roadway."

The National Weather Service said 6.03 inches of rain fell on Saturday in Springfield, and another 4 inches was possible on Sunday. As of 5 p.m. Sunday, 2.11 inches of rain had fallen in Springfield, the National Weather Service reported. The storm is expected to pass through the area Monday morning.

The 6.03 inches of rain on Saturday marks the second highest one-day total in Springfield history. The only wetter day on record was Nov. 24, 1987 when a storm produced 6.27 inches of rain in one day, according to the National Weather Service.

A section of East Rockaway Street was blocked off Sunday due to flooding.

Meteorologist Steve Runnels said Springfield was under a flood warning throughout the weekend.

"There's too many road closures to list," Runnels said. "It's safe to say that all low-water crossings that are prone to flooding have flooded."

Runnels reminded drivers not to attempt to cross roadways that are covered with water.

"We want to make people aware that driving into a flooded area might result in loss of life," Runnels said. "If you see flooding, turn around, don't drown."

City Utilities reported the storm also caused some power outages in Springfield on Saturday and Sunday.

Lt. Mike Lucas, the shift supervisor for the Springfield Police Department on Sunday, said officers spent much of the weekend working weather-related calls for things like stalled vehicles and stranded motorists.

"A good majority of the calls have been weather-related," Lucas said. "We're dealing with it as quickly as we can."

Phelps Grove Park on Sunday.

Lucas urged citizens to be cautious on the roadways and avoid downed power lines.

A representative with the Springfield Greene-County 911 Emergency Communications department said around lunchtime Sunday that the past 24 hours had been “extremely busy,” with a large percentage of the 911 calls related to the weather.

The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management will activate its Public Information Call Center (PICC) on Monday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Citizens in Greene County who have experienced flood damage to their homes, properties or businesses are asked to call 829-6200 to report flood damage.

Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long said Sunday there had been at least six deaths related to flooding in his county.

Phelps Grove Park on Sunday.

Long said the deaths occurred when motorists tried to drive over flooded roadways and the vehicles were swept away.

David Compton, emergency management director for Barry County in southwest Missouri, told The Joplin Globe that about three dozen people were evacuated overnight and that crews also had to rescue people from 29 vehicles, mostly in northern Barry County and southern Lawrence County.

"We had one gentleman who spent about two hours on top of his vehicle," Compton said.

He said flooding in Cassville has caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.

"I think that number will grow. We're very early in the process," he said. "It's still raining."

According to a press release from Fort Leonard Wood, liberal leave is in effect Monday due to the flooding.

In St. Charles County, both directions of I-70 were closed Sunday night because of rising flood waters and are expected to remain closed through rush hour Monday morning, a MoDOT press release said. The release also said I-49 in Carthage was closed as well.

"There are more than 180 roads closed across the state due to flooding," the Sunday night release said.

To check road closures, visit the MoDOT website.

University of Missouri Extension has re-activated a Facebook page to share information related to flooding: facebook.com/MoFloodInfo.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.