Flooding causes road closures in Newton County

Newton County Emergency Management Agency Director Gary Roark said today that he has seen things he never saw before due to flooding in Newton County.

"Neosho had flooding early Tuesday morning. Streets were closed and, later on, were opened," Roark said. "When you start talking about Shoal Creek, that is a whole different story. It started coming up here out by Lime Kiln Drive and it was coming up good during late Tuesday afternoon. None of those roads along Shoal Creek on Lime Kiln were not closed at that time. I went back out about 8 p.m., it was not over the road on Lime Kiln as you turn off of by 60, it was getting really close to it. It came over during the night."

During Monday and Tuesday, the Neosho National Fish Hatchery reported that they received nearly five inches of rain. On Wednesday, some Newton County roads were closed due to the flooding, particularly near Shoal Creek.

"There was no flooding in Seneca. The only thing that we had there was water coming down Cherokee Ave., but it did not get out over the sidewalks," Roark said. "The creeks pretty much stayed in their banks. They were high, but I don't think we had any damage at all in Seneca, no reports of it."

The village of Redings Mill, located in the northwest part of the county, prepared to sandbag the village's well.

"I sent some sandbags to Redings Mill at their city well," Roark said. "That well up there is up fairly high and is quite a ways from Shoal Creek, but what happens when Shoal Creek goes out of its banks? It backs up water that goes east and west of the well and backs the water up in there. I think that the water did back up in the well house, I don't know if it did any damage. I did talk to a resident this morning and they said their water pressure was low."

According to Roark, a family in Ritchey, Steve Burnett, who owns the old Ritchey Mill, had to be evacuated due to the floodwaters. This is the second time this year that the Burnetts have had to be evacuated.

According to reports, Shoal Creek crested at nearly 19 feet. The flood stage is at 14 feet.

"It was my understanding that it was 2 feet higher than it had ever been recorded.

Shoal Creek was definitely at a record level," Roark said.

With the water receding, Roark noted one place off of Lime Kiln Drive that showed the creek at six feet above its banks.

"I think that there is going to be quite a bit of flood damage, but we don't know yet because a lot of places we have not gotten into yet," Roark said.

And if the water is flowing over the roads, Roark stressed the importance of not driving over it. Cars can be washed off of the roads, he said.

Neosho Daily News