State Emergencies Declared in Utah and Missouri After Severe Flooding

In July 2026, two separate flooding events prompted governors in Utah and Missouri to declare states of emergency. In Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox declared an emergency for Beaver, Piute and Sevier counties in southern Utah after flooding followed an already severe start to wildfire season. In Missouri, Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency after up to a foot of rain fell in the southeastern part of the state. In Utah, the flooding damaged more than 150 homes, destroyed roads, and forced evacuations in the affected counties. In Missouri, the heavy rainfall led to at least 100 rescues as floodwaters rose across the southeastern region, according to reporting on the incident. Additional storms were forecast for the area at the time of Missouri's declaration, raising the possibility of continued flooding risk. The two events are unrelated, occurring in different states roughly two weeks apart, but both resulted in formal emergency declarations by state governors. Details on the total scope of damage, number of displaced residents, and long-term recovery timelines were not specified in available reporting for either state. It remains unresolved whether additional counties or areas were later added to either state's emergency declaration, and full damage assessments for both events had not been finalized as of the reporting available.