Flash Flooding in Mississippi, March 12, 2004

On March 12, 2004, at approximately 1235 PM CST, the Big Bay Lake dam, on Bay Creek failed. This lake is located 11 miles west of Purvis Mississippi on Bay Creek Road in Lamar county. Big Bay Lake was 1100 acres and held nearly 3.75 billion gallons of water. This lake was emptied in a little over 2 hours. The original earthen dam was 57 feet high. Beneath the dam is Bay Creek which flows into Lower Little Creek about 1 mile south of the dam. Lower Little Creek flows west into Marion county and then into the Pearl River 9 miles south of Columbia.The most catastrophic damage occurred within the first 5 miles below the dam along Bay Creek and Lower Little Creek. The first major impact of the flood waters occurred as a 15 to 20 foot wall of water crossed Columbia-Purvis Road. Here numerous trees were flattened as the water rushed through. Next was Tatum-Salt Dome Road where 75 yards of the road was washed out. Several homes were moved off of their foundation here while numerous automobiles were swept 1/4 mile into the woods and lodged up in trees. Areas along Robbins Road were among the hardest hit as 10 to 15 feet of water moved through this location. This road basically parallels Lower Little Creek for slightly over a mile. Just about all homes along this road were severely damaged or destroyed. Every home that was not attached to a concrete slab was moved off its foundation. All automobiles in the area were swept 1/4 mile from their original location. Robbins Road meets up with Caney Church Road where a large section of the road was washed out. The next road was Luther-Saucier Road. Here a small section of the road was washed out. Just west of Luther-Saucier Road is McGraw Road. Here the water was 5 feet deep. Three homes along this road were moved off their foundation.As the flood waters entered Marion county they seemed to slow and become more confined to the creek channel. However, several homes were flooded by 3 to 5 feet of water while 1 to 3 feet of water flowed over portions of Highway 13. This occured in and near the community of Pinebur. A large section of Pine Burr Road was washed out where the creek crossed the road. Large sections of asphalt were removed from the road bed and placed neatly in residents yards.A total of 121 homes or businesses were damaged by the flood waters. Of the 121 damaged structures, 52 were completely destroyed, 40 sustained major damage and 29 sustained minor damage. In addition, 30 roads were damaged or closed by the flood waters. The affected area stretched some 17 miles west of the dam to where Lower Little Creek meets the Pearl River.The best way to describe the damage is "Incredible". The power of the flood water was amazing as it produced damage that was comparable to F2, F3 and F4 tornado damage.