Arkansas Levees along I40 are failing.. details within

Jefferson County. Redfield Arkansas and Pine Bluff etc EAST (Downriver of Little Rock)

Mandatory evacuation in certain zones and streets tonight. I-530 runs north and south through there.

Mandatory evacuation issued for parts of Jefferson County

I think by morning there will be alot more to this.

 

Once in a while there is a correction or retraction of sorts regarding the problem at the North Little Rock Flood Defenses.

A updated correction was issued by two sources detailing the problem and I conisder this a sort of a drill exercise as if there was a actual breach problem earlier tonight.

First article about the flood defenses situation. Relating to the Petroleum storage in the area

Despite reports, no levee breached in North Little Rock

And a second source for facebook minions for those of you who use it as a supporting information.

US National Weather Service Little Rock Arkansas

Essentially a containment wall around the Petroleum must have had trouble. Not the main defense wall. Whatever it is the people who have the authority recalled the EAS, canceled the situation and are working on it.

Remember Idrive Arkansas has live traffic cameras you can examine the situation around little rock before you get to it. I took a look at 440 and it was quiet with a few eastbound trucks rolling off the Bridge there at the 165. Petro truckstop is also about a few hundred yards east of the one at the Galloway Camera etc.

 

KATV reports that the water flows in several parts of the river in Arkansas exceeds that which is Niagara Falls. Something on the order of between 435K to 540K cubic feet per second, usually runs around 100K or a little higher normal days.

I am not able to link very well to the report due to that website's poor design and constant shifting away from the article by programing.

 

There was a fuel farm on the river last night. The Government levee was either overtopped or leaked enough to get water past the tank farm containment wall. However as it turned out the "Company Levee" that was behind it collected the river and essentially saved the city for the night. It was a real big to do for our area. A drill.

The drains, sewers and so on in both Little Rock and NLR are finally having the river come up through them to flood. Which makes me wonder about the defenses if any around sewer facilities. I know nothing about those right now. But the people who matter and are paid to worry about this certainly do.

Road 7 near Russelville has finally closed. The river has it now.

There is little to do but to watch and wait. With the flows figuring that high I really worry about the ability of the engineering on the bridge piers to resist scouring, the replacement broadway bridge and the Union Pacific Wye-Yard west access bridge certainly are good.

Redfield has some roads closed however it is just the beginning. Pine Bluff as well. Jefferson County has some evacuations. There is a chemical weapons arsenal south near White Hall, however they finished destroying the Sarin Nerve gas, VX Nerve gases etc some years ago. It may or may not be operational. Some of those weapons are pretty hideous product of the cold war. Make you spasm on the ground until you break your own spine. Among other problems.

If anything comes up the NWS in Little Rock and the media stations that contain EAS equiptment will be generating messages in a fairly quick order.

Arkansas THV 11 is round the clock on their webpage much of the information or certain information was fact checked against NWS and other webpages in the area of Flood Management before i wrote on here.

One more problem.

Today is first day of hurricane season. There is sort of a low in the Yucatan Strait west of Cuba but may or may not be rain for us. And there is a proper tropical wave off Africa on schedule. But huge amounts of shear between that and the Leeward Islands SW of Florida.

Last years florence was a pretty hefty storm. But I think for the purposes of trucking everyone would know whats what with them.

 

River west of Dardenelle is falling for the moment. Everywhere else is cresting or crested.

Dardenelle has managed to put material into that failed levee and reduced the water difference to three inches or so. If it does not rain too much there is still yet farming and residential housing around the city to be possible. Next seven days has rain starting with chances tonight.

Little Rock had some evacs and a few other things, as far as I can see it's a waiting. Cresting tomorrow at 29 feet give or take.

The rains this week if any will decide the matter in several areas.

 

Ok. Ive had some updates and new information.

First off. We are probably going to have to rebuild the government war era levees when this is all over state wide on the Arkansas. Maybe build them bigger.

I am emotional tonight and it's not easy for two reasons. First last week when the one Levee Failed near Dardenelle near Russelville, it exposed a path straight to that city and more importantly planting season for about 37 million in crops to be raised if it did not flood.

The people there from the N. Gaurd on down through the Mayor and school children have sandbagged and fought the river to a situation where it's even at the levee that broke. West of there it's falling. Those people has managed from my believe to save their city, their homes and their livelhood there across the board and indirectly kept I40 open among other things.

I don't think I will see this event again in my lifetime. Ive had a few floods dating back to Anges in Maryland that wiped out the Ellicott City Railroad area and many other things in addition to simply covering the Conowingo Power Dam in 8 feet of river.

Ive worked the Ohio along the 93 floods. Running a 18 wheeler near 20 feet of water 5 feet from a two lane road with a soft berm sinking a little as we wait at stop sign. Not fun.

And a couple of others. This one I consider the big one. (Mississippi is rising, it's already awesome and it's going to get grotesque later this year.)

Here is a story of one to kept the internet going for commerce at any price.

Man works to keep internet running during historic Arkansas flooding

 

Palarm Creek will continue to rise causing more water to flow into Lake Conway.

The AGFC said the lake's water level is rising by "one foot every 30 hours." It is unknown how much it will rise. The Arkansas is back flooding the entire lake. Today it reaches mean sea level flood depth.

This put Conway and I40 along with Mayflower and other areas in danger.

 

Highway 64 at Conway on one of three creeks have finally flooded and is closed among other places.

The problem is Lake Conway is being back filled and flooded out by the Arkansas. One dam across there in between has been overflowing in reverse trying to hold and buy time.

Major flooding expected at Lake Conway, residents should take precautions now

I 40 at 135 yard stick is seeing the lake claim a route just east of there interchange. Approximately the Mayflower area.