Benton County declared a disaster
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008
BENTON COUNTY — Benton County was declared a disaster area for the second time this year, according to information from county and state officials.
The county received 5 to 7 inches of rain over a period of two days earlier this week, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa. The first time the county received a disaster declaration in 2008 was after tornadic storms on Jan. 7.
Gov. Mike Beebe’s office issued a press release declaring 26 Arkansas counties disaster areas, including Benton and Washington counties. Benton County Judge Gary Black signed the county’s disaster declaration Thursday morning. This is the first step in getting state and federal aid, said Mike Dixon, deputy director of the Benton County Department of Emergency Management.
Officials must wait until the water recedes before damage assessments can start, Dixon said. That’s when the county will know the damage’s extent. Damage assessments are expected to start sometime next week.
Road and emergency crews were assisted by the county’s Geographic Information Systems program, GIS coordinator Elizabeth Bowen said. The process usually starts with Cencom, when notifications come in that a roadway is closed or damaged. That information is put on both a paper map and an electronic map. The information is then relayed to the necessary personnel, said Matt Garrity, Cencom director.
The maps can be used later to inform state and federal agencies about the damaged that occurred, and can also be used when crews need to assess the damage after the emergency status of the situation has subsided.
Roadways were not the only areas with too much water. Beaver Lake was at 1, 129 feet above sea level Thursday morning after nearly 24 hours of running two generators and having seven floodgates open. The lake’s normal elevation for March averages about 1, 122 feet above sea level. Ranger Alan Bland said the floodgates were opened at 10: 30 a. m. Wednesday and were shut around 7 a. m. Thursday. The two generators were also operating during that time and continued to run Thursday afternoon.
The water being released from the lake goes into the White River to Table Rock Lake. There’s a chance the floodgates may have to be reopened soon, Bland said. Before Wednesday, the last time the gates were opened was in 2004, which means a lot of debris had built up.
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