The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published May 10, 2017

Saturated ground, wind, blamed for area damage

CAMDEN COUNTY – Though the news of flooding in the Missouri has mainly focused on other parts of the state, some residents in the county have also suffered because of the rain.

A saturated ground in combination with wind sent a tree onto a house on Robin Hood Lane. The other danger with heavy rain is water over the road or over low water crossings.

“When we receive a call in reference to excessive water over roads, we take it seriously,” said a spokesman for the Camden County Sheriff’s Department (CCSD). “Water over the roadways can be very deceiving. It may not look that deep or swift. It is not worth taking the chance.”

Vehicles can float or hydroplane in relatively little water which makes going off low water bridges hazardous. In many instances, if the vehicle goes off the bridge, it will turn on its side or top, making escape more difficult.

“We have had deputies out in the flooded areas checking on residents, reporting on property damage and road impassibility. The residence on Robin Hood Lane is a total loss because of the wind and the ground being saturated with water,” the spokesman said. “At this point, the number of roadways off the main highways and state routes of Camden County are impassable and too numerous to count.

Though the rains did give people a break earlier this week, more rain is in the forecast and many of the roadways may need some kind of repair before they are drivable.

The CCSD says that some of the slabs have washed away.
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“We ask that you contact the Sheriff’s Department or the Emergency Management Agency if you have damage that has not already been assessed to include hazardous roadways,” said the spokesman. “Remember: When approaching fast moving or flooded roadways, ‘Stay Alive, Do Not Drive.’”