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Worried about flooding, officials looking for boats |
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Thursday, 10 April 2008 |
 State Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, center, addresses the media at the Saline County Courthouse on Wednesday with, from left, Haskell Mayor Jeff Arey, state Rep. Lamont Cornwell, D-Benton, Benton Mayor Rick Holland and Bryant Mayor Larry Mitchell. (Courier photo by Matt Burks)
Saline County Judge Lanny Fite on Wednesday issued a request to borrow residents’ flat-bottom and inflatable boats in case some areas of the county experience flooding from today’s expected heavy rainfall.
“It’s just overwhelming — a flood on top of a tornado,” Fite said.
“People have been working night and day trying to prepare, but there’s not a whole lot we can do to prepare for rain in the magnitude they’re talking about.”
Forecasters said today’s front could be on scale with a system that spawned 10 tornadoes last week in Central Arkansas.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock on Wednesday predicted Saline County could receive up to 2 inches of rain during the day today, mixed in with wind gusts up to 30 mph.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates at least 47 houses were destroyed by last week’s tornadoes in Saline County. More could be affected as rainwater hits already saturated fields and lawns today.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers delivered 10,000 sandbags to Saline County in preparation for local flooding from the storm, state Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, said. But those staying at a local storm shelter after last week’s storms keep looking warily at the sky.
“You could tell (Tuesday) as it began to thunder there at the shelter, people who had been through the storm were obviously nervous because of their experience from last week,” Broadway said Wednesday.
Rain fell in Arkansas into Wednesday morning from that storm front. Flash flooding hit Casscoe and Clarendon, where water was flowing over parts of Arkansas 302.
A flood warning was in effect Wednesday afternoon for Hot Spring County, where Entergy Arkansas said it opened spillway gates at the Remmel Dam to release excess water from Lake Catherine.
Before midnight Wednesday, severe weather cropped up in several locations in West Arkansas. Nickel-sized hail was reported by the National Weather Service at Acorn in northern Polk County, and heavy rain fell at Mena.
Flash flood, severe thunderstorm or tornado warnings were issued for Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Scott, Polk, Montgomery, Pope and Newton counties.
In Polk County, U.S. 71 was covered with as much as a foot of water, while Arkansas 375 had six inches of water on it, the weather service said. The sheriff’s office said workers at the hospital in Mena were putting sandbags in place to keep water out of the emergency room, the weather service said.
In Hot Springs, business owners along Central Avenue began piling garbage bags full of sand outside their shops’ doors Wednesday afternoon to prepare for expected floodwaters.
Other severe weather reported early Wednesday morning included quarter-sized hail at Antoine and nickel-sized hail at Arkadelphia and east of East Camden. Winds felled trees in many counties along Arkansas’ southern tier and damaged some homes at Thornton.
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management reported that several buildings suffered damage when storms knocked down trees and power lines in the Calhoun County community.
The new rain temporarily drove up river levels in flood-soaked Clarendon along the White River. The National Weather Service in North Little Rock forecast the river to crest at 32.7 feet Wednesday night in the east Arkansas town, which has seen surrounding cotton fields turned into lakes in the last weeks.
Weather service hydrologist Steve Bays described the river’s bump as temporary. The real concern, however, rests with the front moving in today. If heavy rains fall upriver, that could send another surge through the area and slow the river’s retreat.
“We have (Thursday) to contend with. It’s got our attention,” Bays said Wednesday. “We have to see where it falls. But we’ll have another story to talk about tomorrow. We’ll have to see how much and where.”
— The Associated Press |
 |  |  |  |  | Just being with family and eating good food is the best part!!- Liz McGee Quantz (Haskell, AR)
The Mabelvale United Methodist Church in Mabelvale, AR will
be hosting a fall carnival on Sunday evening October 26th from 5 to 7pm in the
Fellowship Hall. Kids will love it, parents will too! - Roger Poole (Bryant, AR)
I make an awesome Pina Colda Cake. You buy a boxed yellow
cake mix and mix it and bake it per the instructions on the box. After you bake the
cake allow it to cool for about 15 minutes. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke
medium size holes all in the cake. Take a can of Eagle Brand Milk and Cream of
Coconut and alternate pouring them into the holes. Place the cake in the fridge for
about one hour, remove and put Cool Whip on top, as much or as little as you like.
The cake is better if you let it sit all night in the fridge before eatting. It is
wonderful!!! - Kelly Chase (Alexander, AK)
My favorite memories of Thanksgiving were when we lived in
Tulsa, Ok. There were always folks that didn't have a place to go for the holiday-
so they wound up at our house along with most of my husband's family from Benton.
The house was packed. The Thanksgiving meal was wonderful. But the celebration
didn't end there. At night, all weekend, there were pallets spread throughout the
house and the good eats seemed to never end. And on Friday morning (after
Thanksgiving) all the females were up before dawn and Christmas shopping by 8:00
a.m. Those are memories that I will cherish forever. - Billie Loe (Texas)
I always get to make the turkey for our Thanksgiving. So
you can add more butter or flour for consistency. Wash your turkey, pat dry, take
another stick of butter and rub all over turkey. Then take with your hands and smear
the batter a little thick, all over the turkey. Once all of the turkey has the
batter on it, I will melt the another bar of butter and put it in the bottom of the
pan of my turkey. It will make a wonderful gravy to use on your turkey when done.
So, then get enough aluminum foil to make a "tent" over your turkey. Put in oven and
bake @ 375 all night. It will be so moist, the crispies are great and the gravy
makes it better. Now the flip side to this is, it will be so tender it will fall apart.
So, I do not serve as a whole turkey. I go ahead and slice up, pour some grave
over some of the sliced up turkey for those who like it and then slice up some
turkey without gravy. You will have many compliments on this. Happy Thanksgiving
and Enjoy! - Liz Johnson (Benton) We prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that morning.
Then we pack it all up and travel to deer camp in South Arkansas. We serve dinner to
all those who don't have family with which to share. We'll spend the afternoon
playin' dominos, pitchin' horseshoes and just visitin'. It's a wonderful time. - Pat Stuckey (Bismarck) We invite all the family in and cook the traditional feast.
Everyone gets silly when they get full. That is entertaining. - Jim Perry (Benton) Frozen pizza - Greg Marsh (Medicine Hat) The whole family gets together and we have dinner and noon
visit for a while then go home to take naps and get ready for black friday sales! - Terrie Schulz (Benton)
My childhood memories are of the sumptuous dinners my
grandfather, Byron Yarbrough, Sr. would prepare. Family members came from all over
Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas to our home of South East Street. It was a wondeful
time I really didn't learn to appreciate until he and my grandmother passed away.
Later, my cousin Eleen Murray brought the tradition back and family members gathered
at their home near Lake Norrell. Today, it's the memories of
Thanksgivings past that I treasure. It was because of these gatherings that I came
to realize the importance of family. - David Hughes (Herndon, VA)
My favorite time of remembering Thanksgiving is when all of
my family would get together and enjoy the most wonderful feast I have ever tasted.
My mom would make at least 2 to 3 different stuffings, actually her and my sister
Tammy Parker(Schultz) would make everything. I am not quite the chef my mom and
sister are. I live now and have lived for most of my life away from home in
different states so I have tasted many other dishes. None can compare to my
mom's(Pat Brumley). But most of all it is the family being altogether and just
laughing and having fun. My husband experienced this tradition for the first time in
1999 and still to this day can not stop talking about it. His traditions were not
the same. He couldn't believe the amount of food, fun, and family we had for the
holidays. I didn't understand it because I am used to it always being that way. I am
very lucky to have the family I have. My ex-step dad (David Hughes) still treats me
and my sister like his own so I have extended family to share the holidays with too. Even if it
is just a phone call, prayer, or written. I sure so miss Benton. I was raised
there and even though I am in Hoosier state since 2001 I let everybody know I am
proud to be a Razorback. I will never be anything else. God bless everyone in
Benton and someday I hope to see you soon. - Debbie Brooks (Schultz) (Columbus, IN) |
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Razorbacks
