CHESTERFIELD — James Berg, a hunter, is alive and well after being rescued from a tree as floodwaters surrounded him.
The incident happened Monday in the Chesterfield Valley area of west St. Louis County. Berg was taken to a hospital but was OK, except for a few bug bites.
Berg and friends were bow hunting when the rising Missouri River overtopped a small agricultural levee, flooding miles of land. Other hunters were able to get out but Berg was stuck.
So he climbed a tree to safety and waited - along with the snakes, rodents and spiders in the tree with him.
Pretty soon, a helicopter spotted him. Rescue crews from the Monarch Fire Protection District moved in with their boat.
No homes or businesses were damaged because of the overtopped levee.