St. Louis flooding: At least 1 dead in historic event
Record rainfall impacted homes, interstates
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At least one person is dead after record rainfall caused widespread flash flooding in the St. Louis area on Tuesday.
The person died in a flooded vehicle that was found covered in more than 8 feet of water.
Their identity has not yet been released, but KMOV4 reported that authorities believe that the driver is a man in his 60s.
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Several puppies drowned when the Stray Paws Adoptables rescue operation building flooded.
ST. LOUIS FLASH FLOODING SUBMERGES I-70, TRAPS RESIDENTS IN HOMES AFTER RECORD-SHATTERING RAINFALL
Firefighters in boats rescued other dogs and first responders rescued more than 100 people – mostly from vehicles that tried to move through water-covered roads.
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Parts of multiple interstates were closed at various times due to the historic event, stranding some people for hours.
"We've had a tremendous amount of cars that have been door-deep and also roof-deep in some of these low-lying areas," Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said at a news conference.
Jenkerson told reporters that floodwaters made it into homes, with some roofs collapsing under the weight of the water.
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The iconic St. Louis Gateway Arch was closed for the day.
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The downpour dropped more than 12 inches of rain in parts of St. Charles County and up to 10 inches elsewhere in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
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Most of that rain fell shortly after midnight.
The situation prompted the city's first-ever flash flood emergency from the National Weather Service (NWS).
On Wednesday, the NWS in St. Louis wrote it had recorded 0.92 inches of rain from midnight through 6 a.m. local time.
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The agency said the rainfall totals seen on Tuesday – leading to the wettest day in St. Louis history – have a 1 in 1,000 chance of occurring in any given year, according to FOX Weather.
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Acting on behalf of Gov. Mike Parson, Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.