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U.S. NEWS Saturday 1 June 2019

Record floods breach Arkansas levee, overtop 2 in Missouri

By ANDREW DeMILLO and
JILL BLEED
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) —
Relentless flooding in the
central U.S. on Friday inun-
dated communities and
damaged or spilled over
levees on three major rivers
in two states, and authori-
ties discovered the body of
a drowning victim at a Mis-
souri lake.
The fast-flowing Arkansas
River smashed a 40-foot
(12-meter) hole in a levee
in rural western Arkansas,
causing water to spill into
a nearby community. In
northeast Missouri, a levee
was overtopped on the
Mississippi River, and an-
other levee was topped
on the Missouri River in the
central part of the state.
The flooding has been
building for days because
of heavy rainfall upstream.
In Arkansas, officials were
warning of more potential
problems on an already
strained levee system. In this Thursday, May 30, 2019 photo, Eugene Bowers looks at the kitchen in his flooded home in the Town and Country neighborhood
“These levees were not built west of Sand Springs, Okla.
to sustain this high a flow for Associated Press
this long, and we are see- ters) northwest of Little Rock. water level at Dardanelle, declaration will help the above-record levels Fri-
ing problems and there Yell County officials had likely due to the breach. state minimize the loss, but day. Officials there said
more than likely will be anticipated the breach A flash flood warning was added that “this is far from they wouldn’t know the
more,” said Laurie Driver, and urged residents in the issued early Friday for the over.” extent of the damage until
spokeswoman for the U.S. nearby Holla Bend area to area, and forecasters said Hutchinson said emergen- the water receded, which
Army Corps of Engineers evacuate Thursday. residents should be pre- cy officials were working on could take days, if not lon-
Little Rock District. The Arkansas Department pared for rapidly rising wa- getting ahead of the flood- ger.
In eastern Missouri, the of Emergency Manage- ter. Local officials said they ing as it continues south- Officials in Missouri issued
state Highway Patrol’s Wa- ment said crews went door were uncertain where the east, trying to identify and a mandatory evacuation
ter Division reported that to door to recommend water would end up. strengthen any other pres- order for some residents of
the body of 57-year-old evacuation for about 160 “Water is going to do what sure points or weak spots in Howard County, where the
Lane Panasuk, of Butte, homes. it wants to do,” Yell County the levee system. Missouri River topped a le-
Montana, was recovered Yell County Emergency Judge Mark Thone told re- “Obviously the breach in vee. County Emergency
Thursday evening from Har- Manager Jeff Gilkey told porters at a news confer- Dardanelle is a sign that Management Co-Director
ry S. Truman Lake in Henry the Arkansas Democrat- ence. “We’re just trying to there could be more of Bill John said the levee near
County, but the patrol said Gazette that rapid currents head this off.” these breaches that will Petersburg was expected
it did not know why he from the river ripped a 40- The levee breached be- happen as pressure contin- to fail soon, KRCG report-
was in the water. The U.S. foot (12-meter) section cause of ongoing flooding ues to mount in the coming ed. Levees in Lewis County
Army Corps of Engineers from the levee. Aerial vid- along the Arkansas River, days,” Hutchinson said. along the Mississippi River
had warned visitors about eo posted by the sheriff’s which began in Oklaho- Entergy Arkansas said Fri- in northeast Missouri were
high water levels that had office Friday showed water ma. Late Thursday night, day that it does not an- overtopped Thursday,
closed most of the camp- pouring through the hole. President Donald Trump ticipate any impact to its flooding several thousand
grounds around the lake “There was nothing we approved the Arkansas re- nuclear plant near the Ar- acres of farmland. Lewis
and a road over its dam. could do to stop it,” Gilkey quest for a disaster decla- kansas River in Russellville. County Emergency Direc-
In Arkansas, the levee said. ration in 16 counties affect- In Fort Smith, the state’s tor David Keith said no
breached at Dardanelle, National Weather Service ed by the flooding. Gov. second-largest city, the homes or businesses were
about 60 miles (95 kilome- data showed a dip in the Asa Hutchinson said the river levels held steady at impacted.q