Saint Louis Declares A State of Emergency After Record Rains

(CTN News) – It was a record-breaking storm that ravaged Saint Louis on Tuesday, shattering a previous daily rainfall record that was set more than a century ago. There has now been a declaration of a state of emergency by both state and local officials in Missouri.

The story was reported by Sarah Fentem, a reporter with Saint Louis Public Radio:

There was quite a bit of rain falling in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to Sarah Fentem, byline: A meteorologist with the National Weather Service describes the storm as intense as well.

This is definitely an unusual amount of rain to be seen in such a short amount of time, and it is definitely unusual to see this much rain.

Within six hours, more than seven and a half inches of rain fell. The amount of water overwhelmed the city’s infrastructure, turning highways into rolling rivers and stranding hundreds of people.

Houses and cars were flooded Saint Louis throughout the day, so rescue workers used inflatable rafts to rescue people and pets. A handful of emergency shelters have been able to accommodate them.

MARY TOLLER: I got out of there as quickly as I could by grabbing whatever I could.

Toller is Mary Fentem. In a makeshift shelter in a recreation center in Saint Louis County, she was wrapped in a pink blanket on Tuesday evening.

In front of her sat two suitcases that had been packed in a hurry. It was early in the morning on Tuesday morning when she noticed water rushing into the basement of her apartment in North Saint Louis County.

I had a reasonable idea since I knew the amount water there that I would not be able to return for months.

FENTEM: Toller escaped the apartment, but then her car got stuck. Emergency workers finally arrived after wading through flooded streets for hours.

There is nothing I have. It’s not a complaint from me. There is no venting going on here. The only thing I am thankful for is that I got out of there before I was about to I am hoping that Toller will be able to get to a friend’s house or a hotel as soon as possible.

friend’s house Storms like Tuesday’s intense storm, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., are becoming more common in the UK, according to Claire Masteller. common, says Claire Masteller. She’s an Earth and planetary sciences professor at Washington University in Saint Louis.

She says the storm was a big, singular event, but also part of a trend.

CLAIRE MASTELLER: But that’s connected to climate change. So climate is sort of the integration of all of our weather events.

FENTEM: As the planet heats up, more water is stored in the warmer air, and this water is released as heavier downpours.

MASTELLER: Essentially, we are supplying more fuel, which then, when these rainstorms occur, increases the amount of water in the atmosphere, resulting in rain.

FENTEM: As a result of the wet weather, meteorologists predict it will continue through Thursday night.

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