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Flash Flooding Wreaks Havoc In St. Louis. At Least One Person Dies, Dozens Get Trapped

[Twitter/ Screenshot/ CBS Evening News]

Taylor Loud Contributor
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Flash flooding caused by record-breaking rainfall wreaked havoc in the St. Louis area Tuesday, flooding homes, trapping dozens of people and killing at least one person.

The National Weather Service (NWS) St. Louis reported 7.02 inches of rainfall in a five-hour period early Tuesday, breaking the over 100-year-old rainfall record of 6.85 inches from August 1915. Rainfall totals later topped 1 foot. The NWS quickly issued a flash-flood emergency warning of a “life-threatening situation,” its most severe and urgent alert, the Weather Channel reported.

Rescuers evacuated residents from affected areas, completing rescues for over 100 people throughout the afternoon, according to The Weather Channel. Many vehicles were stranded and submerged on Interstate 70, forcing the shutdown of parts of the interstate, the outlet noted.

First responders recovered the body of an individual found trapped in a submerged car Tuesday afternoon, according to the Weather Channel. The car was reportedly found in over 8.5 feet of water, reaching over the roof of the vehicle. The body has not yet been identified. (RELATED: Massive Earthquake Hits Asian Nation)

Rescuers responded to about 18 homes in St. Louis’ Ellendale neighborhood, where six people and six dogs were rescued by boat, the city fire department announced in a tweet. A local dog shelter, Stray Paws Adoptables, also flooded, leaving 10 puppies dead before rescue teams were able to reach them, according to Fox 2 Now.

Following St. Louis County declaring a local state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declared one for the entire state of Missouri as well.

“We’re having some partial roof collapse. Some of the vacant buildings are also suffering from the stress of this water,” St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said, according to CNN. “There was a significant area over around … McCausland and Southwest where we had right around 14 to 15 homes that suffered significant flooding.”

Thousands of power outages have been reported in St. Louis County and neighboring areas, CNN reported.