POINSETT COUNTY, Ark. — A community in East Arkansas faces a flash flood warning Monday after two levees breached along a river in Poinsett County overnight.
The National Weather Service (NWS) extended the flash flood warning until 6 p.m., Jan. 29, 2024, after they said water along the Cache River had risen several feet along the levee breaches near the small community of Pitts, Arkansas. The NWS said the flash flooding to the immediate area from the levee breach is a hazard to those in the area, and those in low-lying areas nearby need to seek higher ground.
Poinsett County Emergency Management is on scene working to re-direct the flooding with sandbags. The emergency management office said water rose two feet over the course of 12 hours near the community of Pitts, and at this time, no one is in dire risk of the flooding, but that situation could change if the flood waters continue to rise.
Poinsett County Emergency Management said the breached areas are near the intersection of Pitts Road and Highway 18.
County officials could not pinpoint an exact cause of the levee breach, but pointed to a combination of recent heavy rainfall paired with snowmelt from parts upstream leading to high water levels along the river.
ABC24 is headed to the scene of the breach and will provide more information as it becomes available.
