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Flooding closes I-30, many roads; officials on alert |
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Thursday, 24 December 2009 |
The Saline County Office of Emergency Management declared Saline County in a state of emergency at 9 a.m. today because of severe flash flooding.
“That means that lives and property are in danger,” said Saline County Judge Lanny Fite. “When we declare an emergency, it gives me the power to do what is necessary to protect lives and property,” he added.
Dozens of roads and bridges around the county have been closed because of standing or rushing water, officials said.
Fite said that after today’s emergency, the state will evaluate the county to see if it qualifies for state assistance. Gov. Mike Beebe can also later contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency to request their assistance if needed.
The county has received about 8 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service in Little Rock. The rain is expected to continue through this afternoon, adding to the water that has closed dozens of roads and bridges all over the county.
Authorities said several residents have been evacuated and are being offered shelter at Holland Chapel Baptist Church in Benton and the Salvation Army in Benton.
Benton resident Jane Higgins of 1102 Gray Street in Benton found flood waters seeping into her house at 6 a.m. Higgins lives in a split-level home, and the lower half is under water, she said. The workshop near her house has water halfway up the wall, and a nearby small house is underwater as well. She said this is the third time this year she has experienced such a devastating flood.
She said the water has backed up from a creek near her house and it is full of debris, which she has asked the city to remove.
“I’ve called (Mayor) Rick (Holland) about this and he hasn’t fixed it,” she said.
Higgins estimates her bedroom suite, Christmas presents and a television have been destroyed because of the flood.
Higgins said Gray Street is completely under water, one of several in the county. The water in the road in front of her home was about knee-deep.
The following roads and bridges have standing water or water rushing over them, according to a list sent to the Courier by county officials:
•Arkansas 183 South of the Humane Society
•Edison at the construction area
•Vimy Ridge
•Bridge near 2469 U.S. 298 has water rushing over it
•Hilltop near the whole intersection
•Cynamide from Alcoa to a short distance past the train tracks
•First bridge on Honeysuckle
•Congo Road north of Brown Road
•Germania near the Northeast Fire Department
•Honeysuckle at the first bridge
•Oakley/Chicot, Kling/Chicot and South Alexander at the bridge.
The following roads have been barricaded or shut-down:
•Brookwood from South Shobe to Lindsey
•Avilla East/Congo Ferndale at the hardware store
•Edgewood at the culvert is washed out and about 6 feet under water
•Hunters Road in Haskell is flooded and residents have been advised to evacuate
•Levee at Sawmill
•South Sardis just past Brushy Pine
•Mt. Olive past West Sardis and Wisteria Vineyard.
The following roads had excessive water as of press time this morning:
•Zuber/Gilbert
•Spinghill/Hilldale
• Congo Ferndale/Colonel Glenn
•Chicot/East Sardis
•Hilldale between Hillsboro and Anderson
•Samples/Racetrack
•Hart Road/Janice
•Sawmill/West Sawmill
•Samples Road at New Life Baptist Church
•Arkansas 291 at Raper Traskwood
•U.S. 298, three-fourths a mile from Arkansas 5 in front of the fire department
•Arkansas 229 south of Traskwood
•Styles Ford near M and J’s
•Samples/Zuber
•Zuber/Carrie
•Phillip
•Maple Creek just off of U.S. 167
•Sawmill/Chicot
•Chicot/Mashburn.
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