200 young campers rescued as flooding hits parts of Missouri and Kentucky

National 200 young campers rescued as flooding hits parts of Missouri and Kentucky July 11, 20269:38 PM ET By  Chandelis Duster ,  Willem Marx Ann DeField is grateful her two sons and their fellow campers are home safe after they were evacuated from a Missouri summer camp that became flooded during severe weather across the central U.S. this week. Benjamin, 11 years old and Teddy, 9, were among the more than 200 children and counselors who were airlifted from Camp Taum Sauk on Friday in Lesterville, Mo., after the region saw historic rainfall. Eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crewed by about 35 members of the Missouri National Guard rescued them from dangerous floodwaters, according to Gov. Mike Kehoe's office — flying them to a nearby elementary school where they were reunited with family. Sponsor Message Weather What should you do in a flash flood? Expert safety tips for before, during and after DeField told NPR that her sons were at a week-long camp program for nearly a week when she got texts from other concerned moms on Friday morning about flash flooding at the camp overnight. She said she had also been notified by the camp that children had moved to higher ground and in the afternoon were being evacuated by Black Hawk helicopters. "It was a whirlwind," she said. "And my boys, when they got home … I couldn't hug them long enough." She says she and her husband were more panicked than their kids during the incident. "They were fine," she said. "They really just thought it was all a big adventure." Teddy told NPR the experience was "really, really fun." "We got to go on a Black Hawk. It was very loud and very cool and fast," he said. The rescue occurred amid serious flooding in other parts of Missouri as well as Kentucky, with emergency workers rescuing stranded motorists. "Missouri's first responders once again answered the call with extraordinary bravery, professionalism, and compassion, rescuing hundreds of Missourians from dangerous floodwaters,"...