Bridge, Phillips, Elam Drainage District News From the desk of Milton Sandy Jr
October 9, 2011
Vol 2011-12
This newsletter is directed to friends and supporters of our efforts to get something done about the repetitive flooding in Corinth and Alcorn County which on May 2, 2010, caused loss of life, public and private property and threatened public health and safety by the massive release of raw sewage into flood waters. If you have news, questions or comments, please fire away.
Code ORANGE Flood Threat Returns for October The flood threat advisory for October is ORANGE. As we discussed in prior newsletters, based on historic weather information September through November bring a much higher probability for flooding- calling for a HIGH Flood Threat Advisory in October.
Flood Threat for October
FALL IS HERE AGAIN What could remind you of the change of seasons more than a Fair. My hat is off to this year's organizers of this year's well planned and executed Alcorn County Fair. A Fair has been held here in Alcorn County since the late 1800's on a more or less continuous basis with some lapses. The growth of amusement parks, video games and other alternative entertainment options has made it more difficult for organizers to keep the Fair relevant and successful. It
Contact: Milton Sandy Jr 662-286-6087 - Fax 287-4187 - E-mail mlsandy@tsixroads.com
also takes an awful lot of work and volunteers to keep the Fair going so lets hope this was the first of many more successful ones to come. The Fair reminds us of our agricultural heritage in Alcorn County. Many of our flooding problems, in my opinion, can be traced to our shift from an agricultural economy and all the inherent knowledge about drainage and flooding that has been forgotten in that shift.
Preparing for Flooding My father and I operated a business located in a flood plain for over 70 years. Over the years we developed regular operating procedures to cope with the potential of flooding, which we were not prepared for to get worse and worse. You have a tendency to prepare for the worst you had in the past. The future seems to always get worse. For the benefit of those who haven't had that long to get acquainted with the dangers of flooding in Corinth, I would offer some advice: 1. No matter how much experience you have with flooding, it never tends to happen when you are expecting it. Find out if you are in a flood plain and, if possible, get flood insurance. Many areas of Corinth are in danger of flooding but are not identified as flood hazard areas. Generally, if you have a question, contact one of our experienced local engineering firms. 2. If you have loose material which will float and it is stored in a flood plain, either attempt to raise the storage area or secure it where it won't float off. If you have trash or debris which will float, get it cleaned up and secured or hauled off. 3. If you have fuel or propane tanks within a flood plain area, have them secured with mobile home tie-downs or some type earth anchors. In addition to floating and blocking drainage ditches and canals, fuel tanks can present an explosion hazard as well. The same thing applies to garbage dumpsters which float quite readily. Earlier in May of 2011, the following flood plain storage regulations were suggested to the City of Corinth for adoption but no action has been taken so far. Many property owners voluntarily comply with these procedures but those that do not present a continuing danger to public health and safety.
Proposed storage regulations for Materials and Equipment within Special Flood Hazard areas: 1. The storage or processing of materials that are, in time of flooding, flammable, explosive, potential waterway obstructions, or potentially injurious to human, animal, or plant life is prohibited. 2. No storage of materials or equipment, or other uses may be allowed as a conditional use unless adequately secured and that will not cause any increase in the stage of the l00-year or regional flood or cause an increase Page 2/6
in flood damages in the reach or reaches affected. 3. All gas and liquid storage tanks (both above and below ground) shall be adequately anchored to prevent floatation, lateral movement resulting from hydrodynamic forces, and the effects of buoyancy. 4. Any other refuse, fill, structure, vegetation or other material in, along, across or projecting into any watercourse which may alter, impede, retard or change the direction and/or velocity of the flow of water, or due to its location, its propensity to
Loose propane tank in a flood hazard area
snare or collect debris carried by the flow of water, or its likelihood of being carried downstream.
Floatable debris stored in a flood hazard area
5. Storage of other materials or equipment may be allowed if readily removable from the area within the time available after a flood warning and in accordance with a plan approved by the Planning Commission.
Pieces of a Puzzle Several weeks ago I received a call from an old friend who lives on Magnolia Road in an area north of the area on North Parkway where Mr. James Hawkins who we first reported on in
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v2010-3 had built a flood wall around his house. My friend was concerned that the flooding which had been bad seemed to be getting worse. His latest experience was with the June 28, 2011 rain where we got a very intense rainfall of approximately 3.15� which was much less than the May 2, 2010 rainfall. My friend also had a neighbor north of his residence on Oak Lane send me some pictures of the damage to fences, storage buildings and houses along that road.
6/28/2011 Magnolia Road and Daniel Drive Flooding
6/28/2011 Backyard Oak Lane
Oak Lane Retaining wall & drainage ditch
Hickory Road scraped ditches & rip rap Page 4/6
This is an example of another story of how flooding is happening in areas around Corinth that are not identified as flood hazard zones on any flood maps. To try and put these pieces of the puzzle together, I went to Google Earth to print out a map of the area. The ditches on Hickory and Oak Lane upstream of my friends residence on Magnolia Road shown in yellow have been recently scraped of all vegetation and rip rapped. A retaining wall has been rebuilt and the ditch appears to have been widened and cleaned. In my opinion, that particular ditch looks like an accident waiting to happen. Having lived beside a busy street in the city for many years, I have many memories of damage done to my yard from tipsy, speeding or errant drivers who have veered too far off course. When someone does that on this street into that ditch, it will most likely be fatal and if it is raining, cause a a major blockage to the drainage ditch as well.
Sept 2011 - Phillips Creek tributary north of Shiloh Road showing recent upstream improvements in yellow, underground culvert in red, overgrown ditch in green dotted yellow.
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As far as water flow, these improvements upstream have greatly speeded the flow of water downstream to the area shown in red which is an underground culvert which is supposed to carry the water underground to the green dotted open and overgrown ditch. The problem is that the red underground culvert is either undersized or blocked by prior flood debris and when the rapidly moving water coming downstream can't all fit, the excess water begins to move overland and does the damage to yards and houses such as pictured on Oak Lane. If the green dotted open ditch is cleaned, it will only make Mr. Hawkins problem worse by speeding the water down to him. From his house, the water soon makes its way to underground culverts which go all the way down Shiloh Road to Phillips Creek. These culverts are either undersized, blocked or deteriorated as recent flooding along Shiloh Road has demonstrated. My only conclusion is to avoid increasing flood damage to property downstream, drainage work should always start downstream and work upstream. My very best advice to anyone living in low areas is to obtain flood insurance- I'll repeat I think your odds are better than Tunica. Flood insurance will not cover damage outside the residence and in most cases will not cover basement damage. If you have a basement anywhere in Corinth, you are very fortunate if you haven't had major problems already. Use your basement only for storage of items you don't mind losing. That is a subject for a future story, however.
CLING TO THE ROOTS Couple of weeks ago, I noticed where Jimbo Mathus, a Corinth and Alcorn County local son, would be performing in Tupelo at the Blue Canoe. The Blue Canoe is located on old Hwy 45 going into Tupelo just south of Sams Club and across the road from the Northern Highway Department Headquarters on the hill. Stephanie and I very much enjoyed the evening and would highly recommend the Blue Canoe and Jimbo's music. The food was good, reasonably priced, and the building is an excellent, intimate venue for enjoying music performances. Jimbo Mathus Jimbo made his mark on educational institutions here in Corinth and has since pretty relentlessly followed a career path in music with some notable success. During the late 90's he enjoyed considerable national success with a group called the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Almost entirely original, his music reflects his roots in North Mississippi and to me is a blend of blues, bluegrass, Southern Rock with a little story telling thrown in. “Cling to the Roots” is a song off his latest CD, “Confederate Buddha”. I was immediately hooked on the song because it is good flood preparation advice to Corinthians, and also suggests a deeper meaningthat we should hold onto our local history lest we forget it. Jimbo's album is available at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jimbomathus1 for preview or purchase and for those who would like to catch a live performance, he will appearing nearby at Proud Larry's in Oxford, MS, on Friday 10/14/2011 at 9:30 pm. Page 6/6