Severe storms dump up to 10 inches of rain in region

Eight years have passed since Gordonville resident Ellen Lorberg last saw Hubble Creek swell to a muddy monster the width of the Mississippi River.

The monster returned Tuesday after pounding rains flooded much of Southeast Missouri, stranded motorists, closed schools and damaged buildings.

Even late in the afternoon Tuesday Lorberg was still trapped at home by the rains that pounded Southeast Missouri and flooded her driveway over 24 hours Monday and Tuesday.

But the grandmother took it in stride.

"I've actually been here with my granddaughter all day, and we're baking cookies now," said Lorberg.

The floodwaters nearly reached the roof of a pavilion at the Gordonville model airplane airport Tuesday morning and a portion of Route Z was covered by water much of the day.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., reported between 7 and 10 inches of rain in Southeast Missouri and tornadoes in Mississippi and New Madrid counties in Missouri and Williamson County in Illinois.

Powerful winds damaged the roof of a stamp and scrapbook store at the corner of Main and Georgia streets in Jackson. The winds also brought down power lines and blew over signs, according to Steve Baugh, public information officer with the Jackson Fire Department.

Jackson and other local fire departments reported rescuing at least six people throughout Tuesday and responded to a call of two people hanging from a concrete wall near Lexington Avenue in Cape Girardeau around 2 p.m.

That was about the same time 19-year-old Andrew Crist and three friends decided to climb out of the three-person canoe they'd been paddling down the choppy waters of La Croix Creek.

They made it less than a mile before passing motorists mistakenly thought the young men needed help and called emergency workers.

By the time the Cape Girardeau Fire Department arrived at the scene, Crist and his friends had already climbed out of the water and driven away. They returned after seeing emergency workers searching the creek and explained what actually happened.

"We heard the water's really high so we thought it would be fun," said Crist of Cape Girardeau.

There were several real rescue emergencies during the day, however, including three stranded motorists and a family trapped in a trailer home in Bollinger County.

At 4:38 a.m. Tuesday, the Millersville Fire Department responded to a car stranded in flood waters off Highway 72 near Jackson.

According to a report from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, which assisted in the rescue, Pat Wendel's small car was sitting six feet off the roadway with water covering the head lights.

Armed with a flashlight, knives and a boat oar, Capt. Brad Dillow waded into the flood water toward the car, which was about 300 feet from dry ground.

"Water was cascading over the edge of the roadway and was flooding into the vehicle," Dillow said.

Wendel and Dillow climbed onto the top of the car, found that the fire truck ladder would not reach the car. Then they waded back through the water to reach dry ground.

Wendel was not injured, other than being cold, firefighters observed.

Bollinger County emergency workers rescued five people in two rescue efforts during early Tuesday morning.

By 5 a.m., Castor River swelled over Highway 34 near Wayne County. Two people became trapped in their vehicle when it slid off the roadway as they attempted to cross the flood. By the time rescuers pulled the victims to safety, the car was completely submerged, said deputy Steven McCain.

Nearby, Twin Bridges Campground was also completely flooded. Officers noticed a flashlight signal coming from a house trailer that was surrounded with water about 3 feet deep. A boat was sent over and two women and an 18-month-old child were rescued. The Bollinger County Sheriff's Department, Missouri water patrol and the Glenallen volunteer fire department were on the scene at the two rescue efforts.

Jackson School District canceled school around 7 a.m. Tuesday after finding many of the bus routes blocked by water.

Other districts, including Meadow Heights and Zalma in Bollinger County; Delta in Cape Girardeau County; and Anna in Illinois, dismissed before noon in response to the storms.

Around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jackson administrators began driving along bus routes that are prone to flooding.

"We had areas out in the country that we just could not have our buses on," said Dr. Ron Anderson, Jackson superintendent. "We decided for safety reasons that we needed to close."

Anderson said not only could buses not travel safely, but some district employees, including bus drivers, couldn't get into work.

"It's one of those things that you don't expect to happen very often. Nobody expected it when we went to bed last night but during the night we had several inches of rain, and safety comes first," said Anderson.

According to the weather service, the severe weather should be limited to Tuesday. Today's forecast is mostly sunny with a high near 48 degrees.

Staff writers Aurora Meyer and Julia Metelski contributed to this report.

cmiller@semissourian.com

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