High water, rains continue in Arkansas

By Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK — Rains continued Wednesday in Arkansas keeping river levels high as the state contended with its third week of flooding.

The National Weather Service reported flash flooding at Casscoe and Clarendon in east Arkansas, where water was flowing over parts of Arkansas 302. The agency issued flash flood warnings in the Wednesday morning hours for parts of Arkansas, Hempstead, Lee, Little River, Lonoke, Miller, Nevada, Phillips and Prairie counties.

A flood warning was in effect for Hot Spring County into Wednesday afternoon, and forecasters said more rain was on the way.

Tuesday night, thunderstorms caused a tree to fall on a house in Buena Vista, trapping a woman inside, Ouachita County authorities said. The woman, who was rescued, was not injured.

In Camden and Bearden, trees were blown down. Most roads in Murfreesboro were closed because of high water, the Pike County Sheriff's Office said.

The weather service said conditions will deteriorate Thursday, with severe storms across the state and isolated tornadoes. The outbreak could be on a scale with the system that spawned 10 tornadoes last Thursday in central Arkansas.

Flooding continued to be a problem, particularly in east Arkansas.

Georgetown Fire Chief Eddie Stephenson said he expects it will be at least a few days before he can drive out of his small town on the White River. The northeast Arkansas city has been surrounded by water for about three weeks.

Stephenson said Tuesday the river was low enough last Thursday and Friday that he could drive out of town, but otherwise he uses his boat.

"Either you come in by boat or you come in by helicopter," Stephenson said.

His wife was staying with a family member so she could go to and from her job in Searcy, ordinarily a 16-mile drive on Arkansas 36 but now a world away.

The White River at Georgetown has a flood stage of 21 feet. The river was at 26.8 feet Tuesday.

"The other day it got to 30.1 feet," Stephenson said. "It got in four houses and two trailers. They were down in the low spot."

He said homeowners in the low area were told of the flood risk before they located there.

Before the high water, Georgetown had 120 people. About half have remained behind, the chief said. To pass the time, Stephenson has been mowing lawns in town.

"We mowed the cemetery, we mowed where the guy in Arizona owns some property. Helping the ones that can't get in here get their yard mowed," Stephenson said.

Because boats can get in and out, Stephenson said the community was not as cut off as circumstances would suggest. But trying to drive out in a truck most days would put water at least up to the floorboards.

"I just run the river. It's a whole lot easier and safer," he said.

Norfork Lake in north Arkansas reached a record high 579.32 feet above sea level Tuesday morning, according to online data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The previous record was 579 feet in 1973. Flood pool for Norfork lake is 580 feet. Bull Shoals Lake, which was at 687.22 on Tuesday, has a flood pool of 695 feet above sea level.