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Dale Bumpers College
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In the News - October 2009
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| WATERMARKED – A line of debris shows how high water levels rose overnight Thursday and early Friday in a catch basin at the state office of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service in Little Rock. Normally, the basin is dry or contains a trickle of water. (University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower) |
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| HIGHER GROUND – Cattle walk across the top of a levee on Friday in Jefferson County to avoid the rising water. (University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture photo by Don Plunkett.) |
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| STAYING DRY – Producers moved their equipment to higher ground in advance of the rising water. (University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture photo by Don Plunkett.) |
UNDATED - Arkansans were assessing the damage Friday following a storm system that dumped more than 5 inches of rain in some areas in 24 hours on top of already saturated ground.
Don Plunkett, Jefferson County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said that even though the heaviest rain is past, water levels were still rising Friday.
"Everything from Little Rock south is headed our way," he said. Producers "are all looking at levees frequently to see if the small ones along Bayou Meto, Bayou Bartholomew and other waterways will be breeched."
"Growers have moved equipment to high ground until waters recede," Plunkett said. "Cattle are heading to high ground away from flood waters."
Rising water was also a concern in other parts of the Delta.
"Rainfall amounts as of this morning are running 3 to 6 inches," Brent Griffin, Prairie County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said Friday. "If White and Cache river forecasts hold true, this will put most, if not all, of the high ground under water east of Des Arc on Hwy 38 and north toward Augusta on Hwy 33."
On Thursday, the Cache River at Patterson was at 10.4 feet, above its 8-foot flood stage. By Tuesday, the river was forecast to reach 11.3 feet.
In the fields, Griffin said there was "standing water under soybeans and what rice left unharvested is lodging and losing yield every day."
Rising water levels were a big concern in Monroe County too, said County Extension Staff Chair Van Banks. As of Thursday morning, the White River at Clarendon was at 27.6 feet - already above the 26-foot flood stage. By Tuesday, the river was expected to reach 28 feet.
"Here, the water is up significantly," he said. "Roads are covered in some places and a few houses are close to being flooded.
"It is much too wet to even consider any harvest plans," Banks said. " Very little cotton has been harvested.
"Soybeans and rice are being harvested between the showers," he said. "We need some airplanes with combine and cotton picker headers on them!"
Southeastern Arkansas received rain, but was outside the main thrust of the storms.
"I talked to the county judge and he said there are several roads gone along with culverts," said Chad Norton, Lincoln County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "There were spotty power outages, but I believe most are back on.
"I know of two trees that had to be removed from roads, however, we didn't get very much wind thankfully," he said.
Even after the rain passed, falling trees were still posing a potential danger, said Tamara Walkingstick, associate center director for the Arkansas Forest Resources Center of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
"With these saturated soils, if we get any wind today, we could see trees uprooted," she said. "Fortunately, many trees have lost all their leaves and we won't have that ‘sail' effect of leaves catching the wind."
Unlike the spring rains, where some trees began to die from oxygen starvation after standing in water, "trees are going in to dormancy now, so there shouldn't be any issues with trees that are standing in flooded areas now," she said.
Phillips County saw an inch of rain Thursday and another inch as of Friday morning. However, no damage was reported and growers are focused on next week.
"With the weather forecast to be sunny starting tomorrow through the middle of next week, maybe, just maybe, farmers will be able to get back in to the field," said Robert Goodson, Phillips County extension agent for the U of A Division of Agriculture. After speaking with farmers on Friday morning, he said: "They're all hopeful about next week."
Plunkett said: "Farmers are optimistic that if this is all they get they should be fine."
A few are even using the mud to their benefit.
"Some farmers are taking advantage of the wetness and putting tractors with rollers into fields to flatten stubble and flatten ruts," he said. " This will make cultivation easier this winter or next spring."
North Little Rock reported 5.1 inches of rain for the 24-hour period reported at 7:25 a.m. by the National Weather Service. El Dorado recorded 4.7 inches, Newport, 4.1, Pine Bluff 3.2 inches, and Harrison, 2.6 inches. Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Texarkana, Russellville, Mount Ida, Highfill, Blytheville and West Memphis all reported more than an inch of rain.
Around noon Friday, the National Weather Service at North Little Rock extended a flood warning until 6 p.m. for parts or all of 35 counties in Arkansas, due to runoff and rising rivers and streams. A flash flood watch was in effect for Calhoun, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Desha, Faulkner, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke, Monroe, Ouachita, Perry, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, White and Woodruff counties through Friday night.
A flash flood watch was in effect for Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Lawrence, Lee, Mississippi, Phillips, Poinsett, Randolph and St. Francis counties through Saturday morning.
The Cooperative Extension Service is a part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
October 30, 2009
By Mary Hightower
U of A Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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