Flooding in Arkansas, March 18 to 31, 2008

Heavy rain caused the Cache River at Patterson to go above flood stage. The river was above flood stage to start the event and continued as three significant rainfall events occurred during the month to refresh the flooding. County roads were damaged by the flooding and agricultural losses were to pastures and winter wheat. The flooding continued into April.

Heavy rain caused the White River at Augusta to go above major flood level. The river was above minor flood level at the start of the event, but continued to rise due to heavy rains. Houses on 4th Street in Augusta were surrounded by water. The Horseshoe Lake community was underwater. About 30 homes, most of them in the Taylor Bay community, were flooded. Agricultural losses were to winter wheat and delayed planting of corn and grain sorghum. Many acres of wheat were also recently fertilized to compound the losses. County roads were flooded, especially in the Taylor Bay portion of the floodplain. Portions of Arkansas Highway 33 north of Augusta were flooded. The flooding continued into April.

Heavy rain caused the White River at Clarendon to go above major flood level and to the highest stage since May, 1973. The river was in minor flood at the beginning of the month and continued to rise due to the heavy rains. Approximately 10 county roads and part of Arkansas Highway 302 north of Clarendon were closed because of flooding. Residents of Maddox Bay and Indian Bay were evacuated due to flooding. Numerous homes, possibly as many as 40, flooded at Maddox Bay, Indian Bay, and at St. Charles. There were some minor agricultural losses, such as to winter wheat. The flooding continued into April.

Heavy rain caused the White River at Des Arc to go above major flood level. This was the highest the river had been since April, 1973. The river was at minor flood level at the beginning of the month and continued to rise throughout most of the month due to the heavy rains. Substantial portions of the towns of Des Arc and DeValls Bluff were flooded, as were portions of U.S. Highway 70 near DeValls Bluff. Arkansas Highways 11, 38, and 33 were flooded in and near Des Arc. Riverfront Park on the east bank of the White River flooded. Some 80 homes, campers and cabins were flooded along Bayou Des Arc and at Spring Lake east of Des Arc. There were also about 20 to 30 homes flooded in and near DeValls Bluff. Low areas in the Spring Lake and Horn Lake areas on to the east, and Leisure Acres north of Des Arc were underwater. Many residences on Webb Road were flooded. First Street in Des Arc was flooded. Agricultural losses to winter wheat were also noted. The flooding continued into April.

Heavy rain caused the White River at Georgetown to go above major flood level. This was the highest the river had risen since the two major flood reduction reservoirs were built in the middle of the twentieth century. The river was above minor flood level to start the event and continued to rise due to heavy rains. Some surrounding fields had six or seven feet of water in them. The communities of Georgetown and Nimmo were cut off for more than a month, when backwaters from the White River covered Arkansas Highway 36 between West Point and Georgetown. During this time, the only access to the area was by boat. Homes and cabins in the Nimmo community were either cut off by high water or flooded. As many as 30 homes were damaged in Georgetown and Nimmo. Agricultural losses to winter wheat were noted. The flooding continued into April.

Heavy rain caused the White River at St. Charles to flood. Approximately 20 homes were affected. Jack's Bay Road, Ander's Bay Lane, Shepherd Point Lane, Hays Lake Lane, Nady Road, Arkansas Highway 17 at Ethel, Gander Street Road and Refuge Road were closed due to flooding. Numerous hunting properties also were flooded. The flooding continued into April.

While minor river flooding was ongoing at the beginning of the month, the White River at the Augusta gage rose to highest levels since completion of the large flood control reservoirs in the mid twentieth century. Along the White River, about a dozen homes and recreational cabins flooded near Green Tom Lake and along the riverbank at U.S. Highway 64. Numerous county roads in the floodplain were inundated and some winter wheat was lost. The flooding in this reach of the White River continued into April.

Heavy rain caused the Spring River at Hardy to go above major flood level. The mayor of Hardy was notified by the Little Rock Office of the National Weather Service the day before this event that very heavy rain was possible. The local officials took steps to notify the property owners along the river. As a result, only a few homes along the river had to be evacuated during the event and there were no fatalities. A significant amount of personal property was also moved out of the floodplain. The river rose quickly and the surge of water swept away homes, propane tanks, canoes, parked vehicles, and even pieces of the road. Approximately 112 homes were affected by the flood with at least 6 destroyed and more than 20 with major damage. Approximately 55 to 60 homes were seriously damaged. Two homes were swept down the river. Damage to public property was estimated at $2 Million. The Hardy City Hall, police station and city park sustained heavy damage with 4 feet of water in City Hall. U.S. Highway 63 flooded, as did the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. A portion of the railroad was washed out. This was the highest the river had been since at least December of 1982. There had been a significant amount of development in the floodplain since the 1982 flood.

Heavy rain caused the Buffalo River at St. Joe to crest above major flood level. The river crested at the third highest crest of history. There was some minor damage to county roads and infrastructure. National Park facilities were also damaged with losses to campgrounds and other park facilities.

Heavy rain caused the White River at Calico Rock to go well above major flood level. The river crested less than a foot lower than the December, 1982 flood crest, but there has been substantial development in the floodplain during the last 25 years. Water was covering Arkansas Highways 5 and 56. The foot bridges that crossed Calico Creek were washed out. Water got into the lower units of a motel, into a business in Peppersauce Alley, buildings on Chesmond Landing, and many houses. At least 20 homes in Mt. Olive and 13 in Guion were flooded or totally washed away. Over 40 homes sustained some degree of damage and about 20 were washed away by the floodwaters. There was a fishing outfitting businesses that was destroyed, with the business and the dock with boats and equipment torn away by the swift waters. There were also reports of large round hay bales and cattle, both alive and dead, in the river.

Heavy rain caused the White River in Stone County to flood. Approximately 41 residences were flooded. A motel, restaurant, resort, Allison-Sylamore fire station and the Mountain View telephone substation were flooded. One trout outfitting business was destroyed.

Heavy rain caused the White River in Baxter County to flood. Thirty feet of River View Road on the North Fork of the White River were washed out. River View Drive and River Ridge Road were washed out. Deputies used helicopters to rescue about a dozen people from Norfork Village. One family was evacuated from their residence on River Valley Road. Seven campers and 20 residences were evacuated at Buffalo City. Approximately 60 homes were damaged to some degree with about 30 having major damage, 15 with moderate damage, and the remainder with minor damage in the county. Some livestock and pasture losses were noted also.

Heavy rain caused the White River at Batesville to go well above major flood level. The flood crest was the highest since December, 1982 and the second highest since the two upstream major flood reduction reservoirs were completed in the middle of the twentieth century. Water rose to within 2 feet of going over the U.S. Highway 167 road bed and more than 20 levee openings had to be stop logged closed. Portions of Batesville along Polk Bayou flooded and some of the business district near the river also flooded. Most of the town of Oil Tough was flooded and approximately 50 to 100 people had to be evacuated. Arkansas Highway 14 was closed near Oil Trough by high water. Riverside Park in Batesville was flooded and the new hydropower facility built in the old lock chamber on the river was isolated by the high water. The Southside Water Utility was also surrounded by the river and the swift currents cut through a small levee and almost destroyed the water intake. Most of the winter wheat throughout the county flooded and was lost. At least 10 homes were destroyed, 13 received major damage, and perhaps 50 more were damaged to a lesser degree.

Heavy rain caused the Fourche LaFave River at Gravelly to go above major flood level. Parts of Arkansas Highway 28 in multiple locations had to be closed because of high water. At least one person drove off into the floodwaters and lost the vehicle but not their life. Downstream, Lake Nimrod rose to its highest level ever with water more than 4.5 feet deep flowing through the emergency spillway. Some homes were isolated by floodwaters and livestock and infrastructure losses were also noted.

Heavy rain caused the Petit Jean River at Danville to go above flood stage. Upstream, Blue Mountain Lake rose to record levels and several feet of water was flowing through the emergency spillway. Numerous county roads were flooded and Arkansas Highways 27 and 10 were affected. Pastures along the river and the Petit Jean Wildlife Management Area were inundated.

Heavy rain in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas caused the Arkansas River at Dardenelle to go above minor flood level. This was the fifth highest crest since completion of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Damages were primarily losses to winter wheat and county roads.

Heavy rain caused the Arkansas River to go above flood stage at most locations. The stage at Morrilton exceeded moderate flood level and was the highest since the major flooding in May, 1990.

Heavy rain resulted in high releases from Remmel Dam in Hot Spring County. Maximum release rate was near 40,000 cubic feet per second. The resulting rise of the Ouachita River at Arkadelphia crested at minor flood levels. Numerous county roads were flooded along with Arkansas Highway 7 on the east side of town. Agricultural lands were flooded both upstream and downstream of town.

Heavy rain caused the Fourche LaFave River near Houston to go above moderate flood level and crest at the 7th highest crest of record. Agricultural losses in winter wheat, sod, and livestock were noted. County roads were damaged and Arkansas Highway 300 had water over it for a prolonged period of time.

Heavy rain caused the White River at Newport to crest above major flood level and at the same stage as in December, 1982. Approximately 45 homes in Newport were damaged due to the rising water. The Jacksonport State Park was submerged by water from the river. The camping area, pavilion, playground and bathrooms were flooded. In Jackson County, 53 homes and 47 county roads confirmed damage. Arkansas Highways 14 and 69 were flooded. Agricultural damages were also noted with pastures and winter wheat losses.

Flooding occurred on the Little Red River at Judsonia due to heavy rain. The river briefly went below flood stage on March 20th through the 22nd, but rose back above flood stage on the morning of the 22nd. Levees protecting the Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge were overtopped. Numerous county roads were flooded and Arkansas Highway 36 was flooded just east of West Point. Some homes and recreational cabins and trailers were flooded near West Point. It is hard to delineate between the Little Red River flooding and backwater effects from the more substantial White River flooding downstream. While the crest at Judsonia was within minor flood criteria, the impacts were more than minor only a couple of miles downstream. There were some winter wheat losses in the area and pastures were flooded for a prolonged period of time.

Heavy rain caused the Saline River near Benton to go above flood stage. County roads along the river were flooded. Agricultural losses were primarily flooded pastures and the possible loss of a few head of cattle.

Heavy rain in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas caused the Arkansas River at Toad Suck Lock and Dam to go above moderate flood level. For several days, the flow rate in the river was high enough that the dam functioned in open river operations. During periods such as this, the gates are totally out of the water and the difference in the upper and lower water levels is minimal. Some homes along the river were flooded and access to other homes was flooded for several days. Campers in the camping area had to be evacuated. This was the fifth highest crest since completion of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in the early 1970's. Some winter wheat was also lost.

Heavy rain caused the Ouachita River at Camden to go above moderate flood level. Numerous county roads were flooded and Arkansas Highway 7 was closed. Many residences were cut off by flooded access roads at points along the river both upstream and downstream of Camden. Access was by boat only. Agricultural damages were primarily to lost pastures due to prolonged inundation.