Flood Forces Two Dozen Rescues
TWO DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN SWELL CREEKS, RIVERS; WORSE THAN 2011’S FLOOD
More than two dozen missions to rescue people from flooded vehicles and homes were carried out around McDonald County, according to McDonald County Emergency Management Director Gregg Sweeten.
Sweeten, who said that up to 14 inches of rain fell in some parts of the county over the weekend, was happy to report that there were no fatalities or injuries.
“We started issuing warnings about the impending flooding Saturday night, Dec. 26,” Sweeten said. “We put out information on social media. We met with the (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers and (National) Weather Service personnel working together to get the word out.”
“This flood was bigger than the flood in 2011 at the time of the Joplin tornado,” Sweeten said, “and the third largest the county has ever seen.”
He commended the Noel Fire Department because they went around and warned people, which prevented many rescues in floodprone areas.
“Ten families in Noel cannot return to their homes yet and 10 homes were flooded in Anderson,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “There was a total of 30 to 40 homes in the county with flood damage.”
Sweeten said the Haven 55 restaurant was not flooded, although the water was right up against the back of the building.
Vehicle rescues were necessary because some people did not take warnings seriously, he said. A few even barreled through the barricades set up in flooded areas. Those decisions resulted in fire department/EMS personnel having to risk their own safety to rescue them.
“Our main goal,” Sweeten said, “was to get the information regarding the impending flooding out as soon as possible to prevent injuries and fatalities.”
“The main damage in Pineville was at the ball park,” Sweeten said. “It will probably cost approximately $3,000 to $5,000 to repair it.”
Pineville Marshal Chris Owens said there were no issues during the flooding regarding vehicle accidents. Owens said the Pineville Fire Department was running nonstop.
Anderson Fire Chief Shelby Turner said flooding did not cause any major damage in Anderson.
Turner said some people had to be recovered by boat on Sunday and there were minor issues of cars being stranded, but no accidents or injuries.
The only street closed, as of Monday, was Jefferson Street at the low-water crossing at Beaver Branch; otherwise, all streets are open, he said.
In Noel, a majority of streets in town were under water, according to Fire Chief Brandon Barrett. Firefighters performed 16 water rescues, and the town had to set up a shelter, as many residents were displaced by the flood, Barrett said.
“Every road from Noel except for 90 Highway toward Jane was closed since Saturday evening. We’re just now getting some opened up,” he said Monday morning. “It’s rained constant for the last two days.”
He said this was the biggest flood in recent memory, worse than the one in 2011.
Goodman did not report any flood-related problems.
Reporters Rachel Dickerson and Megan Davis contributed to this story.