Heavy rainfall causes area flooding
Tumultuous weather took Siloam Springs by storm over the weekend, and many residents or visitors found themselves searching for higher ground as some parts of the area saw record flooding.
According to the Benton County Division of Public Safety, parts of the county received an estimated 15 inches of rainfall causing widespread flash flooding. The rain caused about 75 percent of the county’s roads to close, according to the press release. An Emergency Disaster Declaration was issued by the agency Monday.
The Illinois River, as measured from a gauge near Watts, Okla., reached moderate flood stage over Wednesday night and Thursday morning. After returning to near normal levels, the river returned to minor flood levels, defined as 13 feet, around 11 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa.
From there, the rain continued to pour in, until the measurement at noon Sunday had the Illinois
River at a record level of 30.12 feet, over the previous record of 28.64, set during the floods in December 2015.
Siloam Springs Fire Department stayed busy during the flooding, responding to seven swift water rescue calls and several more submerged vehicle calls. The calls included an evacuation at Cookson Hills (Kan.) on Saturday, where the department assisted in the rescue of four children and an adult, said
Deputy Fire Chief Travis
White.
The bulk of the department’s swift water responses were on Saturday. The two responses on Friday were both out of city limits, and the single Sunday response was south of town, at Fisher Ford Road. White said there were no deaths or serious injuries at any call to which the department responded.
The city also received calls for flooding into three houses, according to city communication manager Holland Hayden. Two of the homes, one on Abraham Drive and another on Brentwood Lane, reported flooding into
the house. The third, on East Main Street, reported flooding in the basement.
Other city damage included an electric pole that was washed out at Camp Siloam, damage to James Butts Baseball Park and La-Z-Boy Softball Park, damage to the kayak park, and trees down in parks across the city.
The flooding also forced Northside Elementary to close its preschool classes Monday.
Flooding caused some water to enter the building through the door nearest the preschool classes that affected seven classrooms, said assistant superintendent Jody Wiggins. None
of the water came through the roof, Wiggins said.
A crew of between eight and ten individuals went to the classrooms on Saturday night to try to salvage equipment and furniture that was in danger of being damaged by the rising water. The classrooms use a lot of toys and learning aids, Wiggins said.
Teachers were given the day Monday to set their rooms in order and prepare for the students.
“That’s why we were closed today (Monday), so the teachers could have a chance to set up and not go into chaos,” Wiggins said.