Officials in North Little Rock are taking multiple measures to keep the floodwaters from the Arkansas River from crippling their town, but they are also having to keep an eye on the sky as well.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock predicted early Tuesday that the river would crest at 29.4 feet. It had reached 29.53 by 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.
"We are just hoping it's done," city spokesman Nathan Hamilton said. "We are hoping this is it and we don't get any more water."
Officials have deployed various measures across the city in preparation for the rising water on the Arkansas River.
"There are lots of pumps and lots of sandbags around the city," Hamilton said. "We are trying to keep most of the water out."
North Little Rock has four downtown pump stations operating at full capacity to expel floodwaters, Chief City Engineer Chris Wilbourn said at a news conference Monday evening.
The pump stations are located in the Baring Cross area and at Main Street, Cypress Street and Hickory Avenue. Additionally, the city was using about eight smaller portable pumps as of Monday evening, including two at Gribble Street and two in the Baring Cross area, Wilbourn said.
The noisy machines have been placed in various neighborhoods, but the floodwaters they are expelling aren't going very far.
"It actually just goes over the retaining wall and back into the river," Hamilton said.
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The way the system works is that the water that is creeping slowly out of the sandbagged inlets in the stormwater drain is being pumped quickly back to its place of origin, the river.
"We are pretty much pumping water out faster than it's coming [in]," Hamilton said. "It's a cycle that is necessary to keep the roads open and homes safe."
Tony Allen works for the city's street department and has been watching one of the pumps located at Gribble Street for the past week.
"We aren't really sure where this water keeps coming from. We move the water back to the river and then it comes back. This all came last night," Allen said, pointing at a pool of water near the pump.
For city workers like Allen, their job the past few days has been to make sure the rented pumps remain constantly operational while the river is high.
"We are watching every day, all day," Allen said with a laugh.
Charles Harris, who works for the city's drainage department, is also one of the watchers and said the duties entail making sure the machines are fueled and maintained.
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"They take diesel fuel, but once they are filled up, they last three days," Harris said.
The pumps can't be used everywhere in the city. Places like the Dixie Addition aren't suitable for pumping, as the water would flow right back because of the area's topography, Hamilton said.
"For example, Willow Beach, that is the river coming toward them and it would be too much water to pump," Hamilton said. "It works in places like Pike because the retaining wall is next to it and very little water is coming out."
Homes and structures in several North Little Rock neighborhoods have taken on water, Hamilton said Monday. Between 20 and 30 structures have flooded in the Bellwood area, which includes business and residential development. About 15 homes in the Willow Beach area have water inside them, as do two or three in the Dixie Addition area, Hamilton said.
"Affected can mean various things as well," he said Tuesday. "Some people have water in their yards and some have water in their basement. None of the water has fully made it into homes, I believe."
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He said the city has predicted that 60 to 70 homes could be affected by the floodwaters.
Rain chances will increase over the next few days, as moisture moves back into the region and several systems move through, said Jim Reynolds, meteorologist in charge with the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock.
"There is a 50% chance of thunderstorms on Wednesday and a 70% chance for thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday," Reynolds said. "It can bring strong winds and hail with it."
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The water isn't expected to have a major effect on the Arkansas River, but it would be the worst-case scenario for North Little Rock.
"The river rises slowly, so we can anticipate it," Hamilton said. "But we currently have an overwhelmed drainage system, and we have sandbags blocking off storm drains. If it rains, it could flood all of the Dixie Addition, and the streets could be cut off."
Despite all the preparations the city has made over the past few days, Hamilton said he understands that some frustration could be circulating among residents.
"They want to know what is going to happen to them, but we can't do that because each situation is different," Hamilton said. "One home could be 4 inches higher up than another home, and the water will affect them differently. We just don't have the monitoring capability to know what is going to happen to every home."
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State Desk on 06/05/2019