Woman presumed dead after vehicle swept up in floodwaters west of Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A woman is presumed dead after her vehicle was swept up in Perche Creek floodwaters west of Columbia on Wednesday.
The elderly woman was in a vehicle with a man when they became trapped in floodwater, Boone County Fire Protection District spokesman Gale Blomenkamp said. The woman's body had not been recovered Wednesday afternoon.
The couple had been driving home from Columbia, Blomenkamp said.
Rescuers saved two people from the vehicle, Blomenkamp said. One was a bystander -- a landscaping worker who went out to help the two people who were trapped in the vehicle.
Rescuers were called to Gillespie Bridge and Coats Lane, an area near Perche Creek that is marked with signs warning of flooding during heavy rains. Flash floods hit Mid-Missouri on Wednesday after storms dumped inches of rain on the area overnight, including more than 4 inches at Columbia's Sanborn Field.
An ABC 17 News reporter at the scene saw firefighters working in the floodwater but was barred from getting close enough to see the vehicle.
Scott Mullins says he has been living on Gillespie Bridge Road for nearly a decade and flooding like this is not unusual.
We see this road flood almost every year but in recent years it seems like the floods are becoming more frequent and higher,” Mullins told ABC 17. “When water is over the road it’s gushing over that road. it’s dangerous. even in a big four-wheel-drive truck, I would be very leary to drive through there.”
Crews later arrived from Boone County Road & Bridge adding more barriers to block off the road. Teresa Shaw has been working for Boone County for nearly two decades and says she has been a part of her fair share of water rescues, most of which she believes are avoidable.
“The problem is folks don’t take things seriously. they move the barricades because ‘I got a macho truck and I’m gonna drive right on through’”, Shaw said.
Route EE northwest of Columbia also remained flooded, according to county officials.
Emergency dispatchers sent out a public alert immediately after the call saying Gillespie Bridge Road was closed because of flooding.
An ABC 17 News reporter saw 19 first-responder vehicles, which included the Boone County Sheriff's Office, Columbia Police Department, Boone County Fire Protection District and an ambulance.
The possibility of more flooding is in the forecast. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of Mid-Missouri through Thursday night.
The weather service doesn't maintain any gauges on Perche Creek. However, Hinkson Creek, which also runs through the Columbia area and into the Missouri River, peaked at moderate flood stage Wednesday morning.
Audrain County Emergency Management said Wednesday afternoon that a water rescue was taking place on County Road 820.
Two juveniles were also rescued when floodwater swept their UTV off Osage County Road 423, Sheriff Mike Bonham said. The juveniles were in good condition but taken to a hospital as a precaution, he said.
Two kayakers also had to be rescued from an island in the Gasconade River, Bonham said.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
