Southeast Missourians Begin Recovery Work Following Storms
Date Posted: July 14, 2026
Posted In: News,
From St. Louis Public Radio: Southeast Missourians are working to recover from severe flash flooding that hit the region late last week.
The Black River hit record crests, rising to more than 28 feet. The floods also left one dead. The body of 23-year-old Faith Gregory was found in Huzzah Creek, about two miles from her Davisville home.
Reynolds, Iron and Crawford counties faced the most significant flooding. Gov. Mike Kehoe issued a state of emergency Friday.
Davisville was one of the areas to feel the brunt of the flooding, Crawford County Undersheriff Adam Carnal said.
“We had a lot of infrastructure that was impacted: bridges, roads, some roads no longer exist,” Carnal said. “It’s a lot of damage to determine a cost and amount, and we’re still in that process currently.”
Carnal said the Missouri State Emergency Agency will do a walkthrough of the damaged area along with the county commission to examine how many buildings were damaged. A spokesperson for SEMA said the initial damage assessments are ongoing for possible federal assistance.
Carnal said residents lost a lot, including food, water, hygiene products and animals.
“One of the bigger impacts that a lot of people don’t think about too is livestock,” Carnal said. “We’ve had a lot of livestock misplaced or missing and then also feed. All that stuff has been destroyed.”
Carnal said the city is collecting donations for animal feed. The Davisville Historical Society is helping cleanup efforts.