Volunteers who rallied to help the Anderson community found Linda Kuykendall's body on Saturday.
Kuykendall, 64, of Anderson, was swept away by flood waters in the morning hours of Sunday, June 23, Anderson Police officials reported.
Approximately 60 people -- including National Guard members -- launched a grassroots effort on Saturday to recover Kuykendall's body. She was found at 9:02 a.m., just one hour after the search started, according to Anderson Police.
Her body was found about 3.5 miles downstream, police said.
The area received up to six inches of rain in a short period of time on Sunday, June 23, according to the Springfield office of the National Weather Service.
The heavy rainfall prompted a flash flood emergency.
Flood waters gushed through Anderson, flooding Main Street, creating sinkholes, damaging structures, breaking water mains, and removing large pieces of pavement throughout the town.
Kuykendall's home was swept off its foundation. The family was in the process of evacuating and was able to get to safety. Kuykendall did not make it out in time.
Rising flood waters prompted several local agencies to quickly launch water rescues. Lt. Brandon Barrett of the McDonald County Sheriff's Office said the flood waters rose fast that Sunday morning.
Operations started around 7:30 or 8 that morning and rescue personnel sprang into action.
"There were so many we couldn't get names of people or anything because we were going so fast," Barrett said.
About 25 water rescues were conducted Sunday morning, Barrett said. Most were conducted in Anderson, several in Noel and Lanagan.
Anderson City Hall, which has been the main center for donations for flood victims, is no longer accepting any donations, due to lack of space. Anyone who needs clothing, cleaning supplies, food and personal hygiene items, is free to obtain the items at city hall, located at 103 W. Beaver Street.
General News on 07/04/2019