2020 Top Stories Collection

Above average rainfall causes flooding damage

Flash flooding in late August and early September caused considerable damage to county roads, bridges and property.

County Judge Brandon Ellison said though some repairs have been made, work lays ahead.

“We had about $350,000 of verifiable damage,” Ellison said. “There was much more damage that is not quantifiable, such as gravel loss, partially plugged bridges and culverts, weakened road shoulders, etc.”

Ellison praised crews who have worked swiftly and diligently to tend to the jobs.

“The repairs are going well and we have worked some overtime. The larger damage sites are finished, all routes are open now and we are working on the numerous smaller sites,” he said.

“We had 79 sites that I consider significantly damaged. Of those, 30 sites were severely damaged. The basement of the courthouse was also flooded

during this event. According to our long serving maintenance man, he had never experienced this occurrence in 20 plus years.”

With the added cost of materials, overtime and other expenses, Ellison said the flooding damages are costly.

“Of course the budget is impacted in these situations, however I have learned to expect catastrophes. So, I plan ahead to keep some funds in reserve for disasters,” he said.

Ellison was able to have Polk County declared a flood disaster and requested state assistance.”

If approved, the state would reimburse 35% of eligible work.

“The state is pretty restrictive on what work they deem eligible. If approved, I don’t expect to receive more than $50,000. I have met with our representative from ADEM (Arkansas Department of Emergency Management) and conducted field work and compiled documentation to make our case.”