Saturday, April 29, 2017

Greitens declares state of emergency in response to flash flooding

(From Gov. Eric Greitens)

Yesterday, in anticipation of severe, dangerous rainstorms and flash flooding throughout the state of Missouri, Governor Greitens signed an executive order declaring a State of Emergency. Professionals from the State Emergency Management Agency, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri National Guard, and Missouri’s Task Force 1 Rescue Unit, have deployed resources on land, on water, and in the sky throughout Missouri to save lives and to protect property.

So far, there have been 93 evacuations and 33 rescues. All specialized rescue teams and swift water teams have been deployed, which include assets from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Task Force 1, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and Fire Mutual Aid Resources. These highly trained teams are performing the majority of their rescue work in Regions D and G.

The National Weather Service has informed us that the bulk of the rain is yet to come. This evening we remain under a Flash Flood Warning.

Governor Greitens released the following statement, "Thank you to our first responders for their courageous and capable work to keep Missouri families safe and to protect property. Together, we took early action to prepare for this storm, and our pre-staged rescue teams are now executing operations across Missouri. Please stay safe and stay away from rising water.

For more information on what to do in a flash flood, please go to https://www.mo.gov/stopfloodingdeaths/. For information on road closures, please go here: http://traveler.modot.org/map/.

Our outstanding emergency operations team will be working through the night. Their top priority is your safety. We will continue to provide updates through the night."

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