FAST FACTS:
(Earle, AR 11/02/09) A Mid-South neighborhood is under water, even though it hasn't rained in days.
Heavy rains drenched the area last Thursday night into Friday morning. Residents in one Earle neighborhood say the area flooded Saturday morning, and think the flood water is run-off from the fields. Now, their homes are surrounded by water and they have spent days stranded in their homes. It's possible their problems could last several more days.
"When I bought the house, they didn't tell me it floods down here," says Lertis Caldwell as she stands near knee-deep filthy flood water. "It's really not livable," she says. "Anytime you can't use the bathroom, your house is not livable."
Meantime, her neighbors are trying to adjust to living in a lake, as flood water continues to inch closer days after the last rain.
"The whole sewer system and that neighborhood and that lift station that's out in the water is completely underwater," says Rob Parkman with Earle Water Utilities. "They're in a flood zone, so that's an annual problem."
Earle Water Utilities workers try to fix sewer pumps that failed after last week's heavy rains. Waste water ponds have overflowed, mixing sewage with rainwater and nearby river water. The water company says drinking water is safe, but sewers will stay backed up in this neighborhood for days.
"Those people over there, they're not going to get any relief until the Tyronza River Falls," Parkman says. "This is part of the Tyronza River right now, you can get in a boat and go all the way down the Tyronza river."
Neighbors say another flood in 2003 raced inside homes and took a month to recede.
"I lost two cars in that flood," says Caldwell. "This time, I'm not driving out. I'll walk out or get somebody to carry me out, but I'm not going to drive my car out."
This time, few risk driving through this knee-deep water, choosing instead to stock up on food and water. They wait and hope for the water to recede soon. Many neighbors say it's more than a flood plain, they say it's a disaster area. Many don't have flood insurance and renters say their landlord has offered help -- if things get worse.
- Earle, AR neighborhood flooded for days
- Earle Water Utilities working to fid sewage pumps
- Residents to expect flooding to continue for several more days
(Earle, AR 11/02/09) A Mid-South neighborhood is under water, even though it hasn't rained in days.
Heavy rains drenched the area last Thursday night into Friday morning. Residents in one Earle neighborhood say the area flooded Saturday morning, and think the flood water is run-off from the fields. Now, their homes are surrounded by water and they have spent days stranded in their homes. It's possible their problems could last several more days.
"When I bought the house, they didn't tell me it floods down here," says Lertis Caldwell as she stands near knee-deep filthy flood water. "It's really not livable," she says. "Anytime you can't use the bathroom, your house is not livable."
Meantime, her neighbors are trying to adjust to living in a lake, as flood water continues to inch closer days after the last rain.
"The whole sewer system and that neighborhood and that lift station that's out in the water is completely underwater," says Rob Parkman with Earle Water Utilities. "They're in a flood zone, so that's an annual problem."
Earle Water Utilities workers try to fix sewer pumps that failed after last week's heavy rains. Waste water ponds have overflowed, mixing sewage with rainwater and nearby river water. The water company says drinking water is safe, but sewers will stay backed up in this neighborhood for days.
"Those people over there, they're not going to get any relief until the Tyronza River Falls," Parkman says. "This is part of the Tyronza River right now, you can get in a boat and go all the way down the Tyronza river."
Neighbors say another flood in 2003 raced inside homes and took a month to recede.
"I lost two cars in that flood," says Caldwell. "This time, I'm not driving out. I'll walk out or get somebody to carry me out, but I'm not going to drive my car out."
This time, few risk driving through this knee-deep water, choosing instead to stock up on food and water. They wait and hope for the water to recede soon. Many neighbors say it's more than a flood plain, they say it's a disaster area. Many don't have flood insurance and renters say their landlord has offered help -- if things get worse.
