A couple in their 70s who worked as election poll officials were among at least five people murdered in Missouri when severe rains caused flash floods throughout the state.
Over two days, up to 8 inches (20 cm) of rain fell in portions of Missouri, causing widespread flooding and dozens of water rescues. It was part of a larger storm system that also produced tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
A 70-year-old man and 73-year-old lady were in a vehicle swept away by flooding at Beaver Creek around 4:30 a.m. in Wright County, Missouri, a county with around 19,000 residents located 210 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City.
Tuesday, the state patrol reported. The bodies of the couple from Manes, Missouri, were discovered more than four hours later.
Wright County Clerk Loni Pedersen stated that both of the deceased were poll workers.
“This is a tragic loss for Wright County,” wrote Pedersen in an email. “They were dedicated citizens who valued fair and honest elections.”
The patrol said that three occupants in two other automobiles were able to swim to safety after being washed away by the fast-rising creek.
Two other deaths were recorded in St. Louis County. Firefighters were dispatched Tuesday morning when a submerged SUV was discovered near the flooded Gravois Creek, near Interstate 55.
According to Jason Brice, spokesperson for the Lemay Fire Protection District, crews burst through the sunroof and extracted a woman who was later confirmed dead.
Brice reported that hours later, a man’s body was discovered in the same flooded creek. Authorities were looking into how the corpse got there. According to Brice, fire crews rescued another ten persons from waterlogged automobiles.
On Monday, Missouri state troopers retrieved the body of a 66-year-old man after his automobile was swept off a bridge in Ironton, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of St. Louis.
The National Weather Service reported four likely tornadoes, with the possibility of additional, in Oklahoma and Arkansas on Monday. There were no reports of fatalities or injuries from the tornadoes.
According to Keli Cain, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, damage assessments are now underway.
The storms hit the day after tornadoes injured at least 11 people in the Oklahoma City area of central Oklahoma.
Cain stated that the department worked with the Oklahoma State Election Board to ensure that voting locations were not disturbed.