Continued rainfall creates flooding issues
V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute
There’s plenty of water in and around Marion County this week as a series of sever thunderstorms have brought a massive amount of rainfall, downed trees, disrupted power, and widespread flooding.
According to NOAA website data, approximately 10 inches of rain has fallen in Jefferson over the last two weeks.
As a result, both Caddo Lake and Lake O’the Pines are at or above capacity and experiencing minor flooding.
As of press time on Wednesday, Caddo Lake was at 172.2ft at the Mooringsport gauge, and is expected to crest on Friday at 173ft. and remain in minor flood stage through the weekend.
Lake O’the Pines is sitting at 234.08ft with a normal seasonal pool elevation of 230ft. On Wednesday, the USACE was releasing 583cfs of water from the lake.
Storms have continued to disrupt operations across the county as Commissioners, Upshur Rural Electric, SWEPCO crews have been responding to downed trees and power outages.
Residents are reminded to stay out of high water areas and locations where powerlines are down.
Requests for assistance should be directed to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 903-665-7201, or by dialing 911.
Power outages and downed lines should be reported to SWEPCO at 888-218-3919, UREC at 903-680-2100.
A 20-30 percent chance of rain returns to the area on Sunday afternoon, and continues through part of next week. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s to low 90s.