Prolonged heavy rains from a slow-moving weather system dumped up to a foot of water on Tallahatchie County, resulting in widespread flooding of homes and roads late last week.
County Emergency Management Director Thad Roberts said 13 local residential structures are known to have been impacted, including one house on Thornton Road between Tutwiler and Vance that suffered major damage after it was inundated with more than 2 feet of water.
Seven homes sustained what is classified as minor damage after the interiors were flooded with between 2 inches and 2 feet of water.
Five other homes were classified as “affected,” meaning they took in less than 2 inches of water on the first floor of the structures.
Most of the flooded houses were in or near Tutwiler, in the area where Hopson Bayou overflowed its banks.
Roberts said that part of the county probably received the most rainfall from last week’s system and another that pushed through with more rain late Sunday night.
“Altogether, there were probably 11 to 12 inches or better of rain on the west side of the county,” he noted. “That first morning, Thursday, Tutwiler had gotten 6.3 inches. Brazil had around 7. In Paynes, we had 2.3 inches then and eventually ended up with about 8 inches.”
The Tallahatchie County Road Department made sandbags available to anyone requesting them from the county barn on Highway 32 near Charleston, Roberts said. There was such a demand for sandbags that Roberts drove to Panola County Thursday afternoon to get more.
Two bridges over Hopson Bayou in Tutwiler — one on Central Street and the other on Hopson Street — were flooded by the swollen waterway. The latter bridge was closed to traffic.
At last count, Roberts noted Monday, 28 rural roads in Tallahatchie County had been reported damaged by heavy rains and/or floodwaters, with 12 being closed to traffic.
“All of them are in the delta area of the county,” he added, “and some of the roads are actually cut into, culverts have been undermined, so we had to close the roads on account of it.”
Sheley Road, Levee Road, Barefoot Road and Denley Drive are roads Roberts mentioned as being closed early this week.
“All of that area is under water, and the Paducah Wells Road right at the levee is closed off because the water is too deep to cross,” he said.
Roberts added that some motorists may believe their vehicle can traverse any flooded road, but he said it can be extremely dangerous and potentially deadly.
The depth of water on a road can be difficult to judge, and standing water can cause a vehicle to stall out. A motorist also could drive off a flooded roadbed and plunge into much deeper water, among other potential hazards in those situations.
Roberts urges everyone to respect any closed roads.
“Please do not drive around the barricades, because you don’t know what you’re going into,” he noted. “You may see just a little water on the road, but the road could be washed out. We have got some places that way, and some places we don’t know about because it’s been so deep we didn’t go in. So as the old saying goes, ‘Turn around, don’t drown.’”
With damage assessments ongoing, Roberts said local residents are encouraged to notify his office in Charleston if they have any flood-related damages to report.
“Anybody that’s had any damage in their home, or if they’ve been blocked in by water where they couldn’t get in and out, even though it did not get in their home, we’d like to know that,” Roberts said. “A lot of times your home is a little bit higher than the road coming in and it gets to where you can’t go in and out. We would love to know of any homes that have been flooded, road damage or anything else that people see.”
To report damage to the Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency, call the office at 647-2540. Roberts also said anyone may dial his cellphone at 647-7012 or that of coworker Amy Goodwin Burt at 647-7777.
IN THE PHOTO: On Tutwiler’s Central Street Saturday morning, floodwaters from the banks of the adjacent Hopson Bayou surround Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Recent heavy rains swelled the waterway. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
