Flood in Carter County, Missouri

A catastrophic flood on the Current River inflicted very heavy damage to Van Buren and the surrounding riverbank areas. The river crested over 8 feet above the record crest. Several hours before midnight on May 1, the river crested at 37.20 feet on the Van Buren river gage. The old record was 29.00 feet, set in March of 1904. About 238 homes were damaged or destroyed, about half of which were seasonal vacation homes. Whole houses were swept downriver. About 30 businesses were flooded. A large percentage of flood victims were evacuated to temporary shelters in Van Buren. The sheriff department in Van Buren literally floated about 100 feet off its foundation. Floodwaters were more than eight feet deep in the county courthouse. At least 30 water rescues were conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the National Park Service. A dusk-to-dawn curfew was enacted for residents of the city of Van Buren. Cell phone service was knocked out for a large portion of the area. The governor of Missouri toured the Van Buren area. The governor credited first responders with saving hundreds of lives by boat during the severe but relatively short-lived flood. Damage to public property, including roads and bridges, was estimated around 7 million dollars.

Record or near-record flooding occurred after a succession of thunderstorm complexes dumped heavy rain in late April, bringing three-day rainfall totals up to a foot in isolated locations. A large complex of thunderstorms moved southeast across southeast Missouri during the evening hours of the 29th. During the overnight hours through the early morning of the 30th, an even larger complex of thunderstorms dumped widespread very heavy rain. This complex occurred along the same front, which moved back north as a warm front across southeast Missouri. These storms accelerated rises in area rivers, which were already above flood stage in some cases.