Updated July 17 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. with additional information from the City of Branson.
Authorities alerted the public to road closures and other hazards in towns like Hollister and in Forsyth, advising drivers to "turn around, don’t drown." Commuters reported bad roads and some business closures.
Forsyth Mayor Missi Hesketh told Ozarks Public Radio in an email they had major flooding that affects the city’s main sewer plant.
In Branson on Wednesday morning, the fire department was hustling to address flooding issues — even as the Branson police department experienced flooding in their first-floor headquarters at Branson City Hall. A city spokesperson said the department was still operational and working on remediation for their workspaces.
At an 11:45 a.m. news conference, Branson Fire Chief Ted Martin said Branson roadways, parks and city hall had all experienced flooding issues — but that there had been relatively minimal damage to homes and businesses.
Martin said the Branson area had rainfall of more than 7 inches Wednesday morning, swelling Lake Taneycomo and other bodies of water. He emphasized that no incident had taken place with the Table Rock Dam that stands between Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo — and that Taneycomo flooding was prompted by rainwater.
Around 10 a.m., the City of Branson issued a social media alert that said police and firefighter teams were assisting with rescue operations, checking on people who might need extra help and marking all hazardous areas. Police, fire, public works, utilities and parks department workers were sweeping the city to assess the extent of damages and keeping city operations and roads functional.
Branson officials shared five tips to stay safe:
- Avoid driving through flooded areas. “Turn around, don’t drown!”
- If you can, stay indoors and away from fast-moving water.
- Do not enter standing water.
- Do not move or cross road closure signs.
- If you have an emergency don’t hesitate to call 911.
KSMU wasn’t immediately able to reach Taney County Emergency Management officials early Wednesday.
Kelsey Angle is with the National Weather Service office in Springfield. He spoke to KSMU at about 9 a.m. Wednesday: “Overnight and early this morning, we’ve seen rainfall amounts of 4-plus inches across a good portion of the county," Angle said. "And with additional rain and this runoff, flash flooding is occurring and will continue to occur throughout the morning.”
Angle said conditions are expected to dry up Wednesday afternoon and evening, after cooler temperatures today.
“Dry weather is expected across the area for tonight," Angle said. "So some improving conditions will occur once we get into the afternoon and evening hours.”
The flash flooding began before 7 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a National Weather Service alert.
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