An elderly woman is reportedly presumed dead after her vehicle was swept into the flooded Perche Creek west of Columbia this afternoon.
Our news partner KMIZ reports the elderly woman was in a vehicle with a man near Gillespie Bridge and Coats lane, when they became trapped in floodwater. The station quotes Boone County Fire Protection District assistant chief Gale Blomenkamp. The woman’s body has not been recovered yet. Mr. Blomenkamp tells KMIZ that the couple had been driving home from Columbia. Rescuers reportedly saved two people from the vehicle. KMIZ reports one of the rescuers was a landscaping worker who entered the floodwaters.
Strong storms dumped heavy rain in mid-Missouri late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis issued flash flood warnings for at least five mid-Missouri counties: Audrain, Boone, Cooper, Howard and Montgomery counties. 939 the Eagle’s Doug Groff reports more than seven inches of rain fell in Harrisburg, north of Columbia. 939 the Eagle listener Colleen in Boonville reports she’s received 6.7 inches of rain, while listeners in Hallsville report five inches of rain.
More rain and possible strong storms are in the forecast for mid-Missouri on the Fourth of July.