Deluges of precipitation flowed upon the streets of Oklahoma and Arkansas Friday, forcing residents out of their homes and serving as the catalyst for an unfathomable amount of damage.
The storm system, named Bill, has made a bad situation for northern Arkansas and southern Missouri residents a whole lot worse after already being submerged in a perennial downpour for days, causing widespread flooding.
Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Springfield, Missouri Mike Griffin, told reporters, “As the storm pushes eastward, it’s slowly weakening and losing its punch. But it’s still going to cause a lot of rain.”
Authorities and officials have been proactive about the flooding and have evacuated several sites, including a mobile park home in Steelville, Missouri, as well as a popular campground area along the Gasconade river in nearby Laclede County, where emergency coordinator Randy Rowe witnessed a man get rescued after his vehicle was swept away in the flash flood.
One death can be attributed to Bill; 2-year-old boy Jeremiah Mayer was swept from his father’s arms in the midst of trying to escape the flash flood at Hickory creek in Ardmore, Oklahoma, where rescuers later found the boys body approximately 30 yards from where he was swept away.
“When water hits a mountain and the kind of terrain in that area, it all goes to the same spot: down,” explained Rick Fahr, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Energy Management.
