Arkansas Residents Brace for ‘Worst’ Flood in 17 Years

Arkansas residents built sandbag dikes and low areas along the Arkansas River were evacuated Sunday, as floodwaters from two weeks of heavy rain in Oklahoma approached Little Rock.

While the state braced for new flooding along the Arkansas and at least five other rivers, it declared disaster areas 27 counties hit by flash floods last week. A federal survey of the damage was to begin today.

Flooding continued along the Red River, the Oklahoma-Texas border. Areas near the Deep Fork River in eastern Oklahoma were under 10 feet of water, the National Weather Service said.

The worst of the Arkansas River flooding was expected around Little Rock today and Tuesday, and at Pine Bluff, 35 miles south, by Wednesday, said Gary Talley of Arkansas Emergency Services. “We are preparing for the worst flooding in more than 17 years--since 1973,” he said.

The Arkansas crested upriver Saturday and inundated 52 houses in the Ft. Smith area, which has suffered damage estimated at $16 million in recent floods. Flooding was also reported along the White, Black, Cache, St. Francis and Quachita rivers. The Red River was expected to crest today as a record 144,000 cubic feet of water per second was released from storm-swollen Lake Texoma.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said it might take three weeks to reopen U.S. 70 at the northern arm of the reservoir, where 3 feet of water and debris blocked the roadway.