Flooding concerns linger in parts of Arkansas; crews begin assessing damage to roads

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN --5/2/17--
A car stops along a Highway 304 in Pocahontas to view the flooding surrounding the area.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN --5/2/17-- A car stops along a Highway 304 in Pocahontas to view the flooding surrounding the area.

3:50 P.M. UPDATE:

Flooding concerns linger for portions of northeast Arkansas, though the threat is expected to diminish by the end of this week, according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorologists say the White River at Des Arc is expected to crest at 36 feet by Wednesday afternoon. That is 12 feet above flood stage and about 4 feet below the record.

The sheriff’s office in Prairie County said Monday that it would provide sandbags to county residents “provided that no more than 3 feet of high is required to keep out of water.”

The agency added it will deploy its resources to anyone along the river who needs to move to higher ground.

In Georgetown, which is about 23 miles northeast of Des Arc in White County, the White River was cresting Monday, “where it is completely cut off by water,” the weather service said.

The river level was at 31.5 feet around 3:20 p.m., the expected crest height, according to the agency’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.

Major flooding was reported along four points of the White River. Meanwhile, moderate flooding was reported along the Black River at Pocahontas and Black Rock.

The decreased threat for flooding along the Black River comes days after rainfall caused nine sections of a levee system to break, sending a rush of water into Pocahontas.

Meteorologists say the next potential for rain is Thursday afternoon and evening.

That system is expected to bring the threat for large hail and damaging winds to portions of Arkansas, according to the latest outlook. Flooding is not considered a major threat.

“If the storms organize into a line and accelerate east, the threat for heavy rainfall and flash flooding will be reduced,” forecasters said.

Up to 1.5 inches of rain is forecast as of Monday afternoon, “assuming that the storms organize,” the outlook reads.

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

— Brandon Riddle

EARLIER STORY:

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department says officials are in the process of assessing damage to roadways caused by recent severe storms.

Department spokesman Danny Straessle said the most significant road damage is on Arkansas 304 about 3 miles east of Pocahontas in Randolph County in northeast Arkansas.

Straessle said work has begun on several roadways to repair storm damage, but the cost of repairs has not yet been determined.

Parts of Randolph County have been dealing with significant flooding due to recent severe storms that also brought tornadoes to the state. Nine deaths in Arkansas have been linked to the storms and flooding.

A report released by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture puts preliminary crop flood damage at $64.5 million.

— The Associated Press

Flooding in Arkansas


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