Roads, bridges damaged by southwest Missouri floods

PLEASANT HOPE, Mo. -- More than 12 inches of rain caused flash flooding in parts of southwest Missouri on Monday, damaging homes, washing out roads and bridges, stranding motorists and leaving one town temporarily cut off.

The rain began falling Sunday night and kept coming through Monday afternoon. Meteorologist Doug Cramer of the National Weather Service office in Springfield said parts of Lawrence and Dade counties received 12 inches of rain or more. Six to 12 inches of rain were reported in southern Polk and northern Greene counties.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries, though several motorists were rescued in various locations around southwest Missouri, authorities said.

"There's just dozens of roads -- and major roads -- closed or impassible," Cramer said.

Some of the worst damage was in Pleasant Hope, a town of 700 residents near Springfield. Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed, emergency management director Rick Davis said. Some parts of the town got 15 inches of rain in a four-hour period. For a time, all roads into the town were cut off before the main thoroughfare was reopened in the afternoon.

The rain caused the roof over the city hall courtroom to collapse. Davis estimated that 30 bridges in the area around Pleasant Hope were damaged or destroyed.

The heavy rain was a remnant of Tropical Storm Erin, Cramer said. The precipitation was moving east and was expected to begin losing steam, Cramer said.