Spring Break
Flooding continues to devastate
Cecily Long
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News
For the past few weeks, Arkansas has seen massive amounts of rain that has caused the flooding of both the Black and White Rivers. These floods have devastated the areas, leaving families displaced due to their damaged homes. Schools have been closed, and roads have become rivers.
Many people have had to find new routes to get to where they're going; this is especially true for ASU students coming home from spring break and trying to return home for the weekend.
According to reports, there is about $9 million worth of damage to public property across the state. Also, countless homes have been severely damaged in Jackson, Greene, Lawrence, and Craighead counties.
As reported in the Sun, damage assessment teams have been touring the state looking at the damage. Such teams include ADEM, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, and FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"We're tired, but this is what we do," said ADEM spokeswoman Renee Preslar, as reported in the Sun. "This is our mission, and its what we're trained for."
Though many people have been left homeless and without many of their belongings, how has this weather affected ASU students directly?
"The flooding was pretty bad," said Gina Billeaudeau, a senior archeology, art history and folklore major. "The water was scary high."
Billeaudeau's hometown of Pocahontas had serve flooding from the Black River. According to Billeaudeau, the local Wal-Mart in the area was completely flooded, making it hard for residents to get supplies. The water was so high residents couldn't drive.
"My uncle canoed to KFC," Billeaudeau said.
Billeaudeau hasn't been home since the first of the flooding took place but said that because her home is on a hill, it wasn't damaged. Billeaudeau also said that others that she knew didn't suffer much damage. However, it did take longer for her to get back to school due to the flooding.
"I had to take the road going from Black Rock," Billeaudeau said. "It took an hour and 15 minutes, compared to 45 minutes going straight to Jonesboro from Pocahontas."
Billeaudeau has heard that many crops were destroyed, especially the large tin bins of grains, because of water getting inside them.
"Since this all started, I have been in almost constant contact with the National Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and during our conversation [Friday] morning I learned that the Black River is predicted to rise another foot and a half this weekend," Randolph County Judge David Jansen said, as reported in the Sun
"This has to be a concern for the people who live in the area that flooded two weeks ago."
Pocahontas is still looking for a missing teenager and officials say that they will continue to look until they find the teen.
Many people have had to find new routes to get to where they're going; this is especially true for ASU students coming home from spring break and trying to return home for the weekend.
According to reports, there is about $9 million worth of damage to public property across the state. Also, countless homes have been severely damaged in Jackson, Greene, Lawrence, and Craighead counties.
As reported in the Sun, damage assessment teams have been touring the state looking at the damage. Such teams include ADEM, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, and FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"We're tired, but this is what we do," said ADEM spokeswoman Renee Preslar, as reported in the Sun. "This is our mission, and its what we're trained for."
Though many people have been left homeless and without many of their belongings, how has this weather affected ASU students directly?
"The flooding was pretty bad," said Gina Billeaudeau, a senior archeology, art history and folklore major. "The water was scary high."
Billeaudeau's hometown of Pocahontas had serve flooding from the Black River. According to Billeaudeau, the local Wal-Mart in the area was completely flooded, making it hard for residents to get supplies. The water was so high residents couldn't drive.
"My uncle canoed to KFC," Billeaudeau said.
Billeaudeau hasn't been home since the first of the flooding took place but said that because her home is on a hill, it wasn't damaged. Billeaudeau also said that others that she knew didn't suffer much damage. However, it did take longer for her to get back to school due to the flooding.
"I had to take the road going from Black Rock," Billeaudeau said. "It took an hour and 15 minutes, compared to 45 minutes going straight to Jonesboro from Pocahontas."
Billeaudeau has heard that many crops were destroyed, especially the large tin bins of grains, because of water getting inside them.
"Since this all started, I have been in almost constant contact with the National Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and during our conversation [Friday] morning I learned that the Black River is predicted to rise another foot and a half this weekend," Randolph County Judge David Jansen said, as reported in the Sun
"This has to be a concern for the people who live in the area that flooded two weeks ago."
Pocahontas is still looking for a missing teenager and officials say that they will continue to look until they find the teen.
Be the first to comment on this story