OEM gives update on April storm, flood damage

This post was updated 4/14/25

Tate Chanler, director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management, gave a PowerPoint presentation Monday, April 14, 2025, outlining several photos of local highway damages sustained as a result of flooding in early April. Chanler addressed members of the Clark County Quorum Court during its regular meeting.

While Chanler and Tucker agreed that there was no area in the county unaffected by the flooding, noteworthy damages were highlighted at the following local roadways: DeGray, Blish, Terrell, Hearn, Arkansas Highway 51 near the 53 junction; Bateman, Hays, Skipper Creek, Lookadoo and Base Camp. Bridges that were washed out include ones on the following roads: Hays, Bateman, Graysonia, Stevenson and Davidson Campground. 

The state Department of Transportation paid a local visit last week and are set to follow up with inspections at bridges that will likely require repairs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be in town Tuesday, April 15, to visit about 25 homes whose owners submitted storm damage claims to the county OEM. Chanler said there is no guarantee that FEMA will grant individual assistance declaration. FEMA’s public assistance assessment will begin next week, Chanler reported.

Ouachita River crests Sunday, 2 feet shy of 1945 record

Looking west toward the Ouachita River bridge going into Arkadelphia, this image was captured Saturday afternoon April 5, 2025. | Photo courtesy of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

No area in Clark County Arkansas was spared from widespread flooding caused by torrential downpours Friday and Saturday, April 4-5, 2025. Though travel issues remain in portions of the county, floodwaters were beginning to recede late Sunday in the Arkadelphia area.

The Ouachita River at Arkadelphia crested early Sunday morning at 28 feet, just a little over 2 feet shy of the 1945 record of 30.3 feet. In its wake, portions of Arkansas highways 7 and 51 were covered by floodwaters, making travel impossible for commuters in East Clark County. Farther south, the raging Little Missouri River left Arkansas Highway 53 between Whelen Springs and Arkansas Highway 24 submerged and closed to traffic. South of Hollywood, a washout on Highway 51 near its junction of Highway 53 closed a section of both roadways, according to the state’s Department of Transportation iDriveArkansas app.

First responders performed a boat rescue Saturday afternoon, evacuating one cabin on the west bank of the Ouachita River, north of its confluence with the Caddo River, said Tate Chanler, director of Clark County’s Office of Emergency Management. The cabin, a rental vacation property, was reportedly occupied by three individuals.

Strong thunderstorms Friday and Saturday delivered a wallop to communities surrounding Arkadelphia, knocking trees onto some homes and causing power outages for multiple residents. Power had been restored to all but about 250 Clark Countians on Sunday evening.

However, despite a Little Rock TV station’s report of debris in the Joan area, there were no National Weather Service confirmations of a tornado. OEM deputies were dispatched to survey damage and found debris associated with the recent twister.

Damages in Arkadelphia included toppled trees at multiple locations. Flooding along Mill Creek closed a portion of Feaster Park, and floodwaters and debris folded the back fence to the city’s Barkadelphia Community Dog Park, which on Sunday was padlocked and closed until repairs can be made.

At Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s request, Clark County joined others statewide for an emergency declaration for direct federal assistance to aid the state with response to storms and flooding that began April 2. The Ouachita was among a dozen other Arkansas rivers that were areas of particular concern. Chanler explained that the declaration means the area is eligible to receive funding from the state and FEMA.

Humane society seeking fosters, volunteers

Directors, staff and volunteers of the Humane Society of Clark County have worked around the clock since 10 p.m. Friday, when waters from a flash flood rose waist-deep outside where dozens of dogs were kenneled. Those dogs were ushered inside, where flooding continued; volunteers worked frantically to move animals to higher ground, clearing any space they could find to lift and stack kennels onto makeshift platforms.

Arkadelphia police and firemen pitched in to help throughout the early morning hours, hauling the kenneled animals to the old armory at the city’s airport. Most of the animals have remained there throughout the weekend — about a dozen dogs were fostered Sunday, and two dozen cats are being sent to rescue organizations or PetSmart in central Arkansas. The shelter is urgently hoping to foster out about 50 more dogs indefinitely. According to Leslie Kent, interim director of the local Humane Society, the shelter — prone to flooding and now likely a hotbed for poor air quality — is no longer a viable option to house animals or work in.

“It’s time to get our animals somewhere else,” Kent said, “and it’s time for our community to come together and find a suitable location so we can begin to tap into funding for a new shelter. The [Humane Society] board of directors does not consider the building habitable.”

CLICK HERE to donate to the Humane Society

In the meantime, volunteers and equipment will be needed to aid in the process of preparing the shelter for the animals’ temporary return. Power washers and/or enclosed utility trailers would be handy, and a “determined” backhoe operator could be useful for groundwork at the shelter. Volunteers should report to the shelter, 627 Walnut St., Arkadelphia, on Monday to be assigned duties. On Tuesday volunteers will be needed to help transport animals back to the shelter.

No trash pickup Monday in Arkadelphia as Hemphill Road flooded

The City of Arkadelphia announced on social media that sanitation routes will not run Monday, April 7, due to flooding at the town’s sanitation department on Hemphill Road.

Clark County judge declares emergency after widespread flooding

Clark County Judge Troy Tucker has declared a state of emergency for Clark County.

The judge said there are several washouts and the road department is addressing those as a priority. Some roads are impassable.

Sheriff Jason Watson is urging residents to stay home if at all possible. “If you don’t have to get out, please don’t,” he said around noon Saturday.

“Every 15 minutes we’re getting a new report of a road that is impassible,” he said, adding that deputies and first responders are spread across the county, using their vehicles to block roads as the supply of barricades are running low.

A strong thunderstorm midmorning Saturday felled several trees in the south part of the county. In the central part of the county, on Mount Zion Road, a tree fell on a residence.

At some point the Clark County Courthouse lost two of its four clocks on the tower.

Entergy Arkansas and South Central Arkansas Electric Cooperative were both reporting outages in the Arkadelphia area. At noon, Entergy was reporting more than 1,000 customers affected, and South Central was reporting some 1,500 Clark County customers without power.

At Arkadelphia’s Dexter Florence Memorial Field, more than 7 inches of rain had been recorded between Friday night and Saturday at noon. At 1 p.m. Saturday the Ouachita River at Arkadelphia had risen to 24.59 feet and was expected to crest in the pre-dawn hours Sunday at 26.5 feet. The river reached a record 30.3 feet in 1945.

The National Weather Service in Little Rock has issued a Flood Warning for the area until Wednesday morning, April 9. Minor flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast.

Officials assessing flood damage as more rain on the way

As dusk turned to dawn Saturday, April 5, city and county officials continued assessing flood damage caused by torrential downpours Friday night.

Clark County Judge Troy Tucker said there are “several roads under water that we’ve never seen before” and anticipates there will be numerous washouts.

“There is not an area of the county that doesn’t have flooded roads,” the judge said, “and more rain is on the way.” He anticipates a state of emergency will be declared as more damage as assessed. The governor’s office made contact with the judge Friday night, and Tucker said he will brief them later today on the situation.

Sheriff Jason Watson said there were no evacuations of homes required Friday night or early Saturday morning, but deputies aided at least two motorists stranded in a submerged vehicle near Countess Road, in the Witherspoon community.

The Caddo Valley Fire Department’s swift water team rescued one hospice patient near the Hot Spring/Clark County line, the sheriff said.

In Arkadelphia, nearly 100 dogs at the Humane Society shelter were rescued from rising flood waters late Friday as volunteers waded waist-deep water to move kenneled dogs outside indoors, where a flash flood rose into the shelter; volunteers worked throughout the night and into the early morning hours of Saturday to relocate the animals from the shelter to the old armory building by the municipal airport. Firefighters, policemen and other volunteers used utility trailers to transport the animals, all of whom were reportedly accounted for and alive.

Arkadelphia Police Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson said several motorists were towed from rising floodwaters in the city, including on South 7th Street and on Professional Park Drive. 

The chief stressed for people to avoid driving around barricades.

Several manhole covers on city streets had been washed upward during the event, but they have since been replaced.

There were no major issues to report in Gurdon, according to Mayor Larry Thomerson. Gurdon’s fire chief reported to the mayor that he had received 9 inches of rain in his residential gauge.

The Ouachita River at Arkadelphia spiked overnight from about 14 feet to 22 feet, just two feet shy of the moderate flood stage. The river was forecast to crest just 6 inches shy of 27 feet, the major flood stage.

At 25 feet, Arkadelphia’s airport may be closed. Flooding in portions of Arkadelphia. Arkansas Highway 7 east of Arkadelphia will be flooded. Clark County roads 9, 17, 19, 21, 28, 138 and 304 will flood. There will be long detours around flooded areas.

Upstream, in Malvern, the river rose to 25 feet Saturday morning — 10 feet above the action stage.

More rain and thunderstorms were happening Saturday morning. We will do our best to keep our readers informed on this serious flooding situation.