Depending on the rain gauge of choice, anywhere from 5-10 inches of the wet stuff fell from Monday night into early Wednesday, causing widespread flooding in Tallahatchie County and the entire area.
Another prolonged heavy rain Wednesday night added close to the same amount, exacerbating problems.
The National Weather Service in Memphis placed several counties, including Tallahatchie, under a Flash Flood Warning early Tuesday, then upgraded that to a full-blown Flood Warning by mid-afternoon.
While residents in some flood-prone areas fled their homes as the waters rose, emergency responders helped to evacuate numerous others who could not. Flood shelters have been established for flood victims at the Tallahatchie County Safe Room in Charleston and the Tutwiler Fire Department in Tutwiler.
In Tutwiler, where the NWS detected heavier amounts of rainfall, there were unconfirmed reports of houses taking on up to 3 feet of water. Homes and outbuildings in a Habitat for Humanity subdivision adjacent to U.S. 49 were completely surrounded by floodwaters.
Drone footage shared on the broadcast network WeatherNation illustrated the extent of the flooding in parts of Tutwiler.
Sandbags were employed for use in many areas of the county. At one point, the Tallahatchie County Road Department reported that it had exhausted its supply and had to gather more.
Due to flash flooding, a section of the westbound lanes of George Payne Cossar Boulevard in Charleston was closed to traffic for several hours Tuesday.
Mudslides, washed-out culverts and caving sections of road were reported in rural areas of the county.
Saturated ground caused many trees to fall on roads throughout the county.
The Sun-Sentinel was unable to obtain an official damage report before press time Wednesday.
