6 inches of rain in southeast Missouri cause fatality, threaten levee

Up to 6 inches of rain fell Monday in parts of southeast Missouri, prompting deadly flash flooding in several rural areas and endangering a levee near a lake.

An Ironton man was killed after his car was swept away by flooding on County Road 42 in Ironton.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the 66-year-old man attempted to cross a flooded bridge around 2:15 p.m. and his car was swept off the bridge.

MSHP said the car floated approximately 1/2 mile downstream before it came to rest.

St. Francois County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post Monday afternoon that a levee near Iron Mountain Lake was “in danger of failing” and residents living nearby were urged to evacuate. The evacuation was not mandatory. A shelter was opened at the Bismarck Senior Center.

St. Francois County is about 50 miles west of Murphysboro and Carbondale in southern Illinois.

In nearby Reynolds County, authorities warned that rivers and creeks were rising fast. In Bloomsdale, volunteer firefighters rescued two men after they tried to drive through water on a flooded road. It was among several rural areas where water rescues were reported.