Three Central Arkansas families must figure out how to build a new road to get out of their neighborhood after flood waters washed away the old one. The
levee and the road on top of it gave way after heavy rains and Saline County emergency workers fear another levee might fail too.
A forest of stark tree stumps in soggy sludge separates Laura Morgan from freedom. The overflowing pond water busted through a levee Saturday night destroying it and the portion of ranch road that sat on top of it. Morgan said, "It was unbelievable. It was nothing I would have expected to happen."
Now
Morgan's family and two others have no way to drive in or out. The only way to get to these homes now from Ranch Road is a three-quarter mile trek through the woods. What used to take only seconds now takes several minutes.
Since the road and land are private the homeowners have to find a solution themselves. "We don't know whether we're going to be able to repair this road, whether we're going to build a new road. We're just trying to find some different options," Morgan told us.
Terrell Burks, director of the Saline County Office of Emergency Management, says now he's worried about another nearby levee, the one that separates a pond from Lawson Road. If that levee fails it could flood Lawson Road and County Line Road where flood waters from Saturday's break destroyed utility lines.
Workers spent Monday making repairs and power is back on. That's something Laura Morgan is thankful for but what lies next on the road ahead is still unclear.
The families are trying to build a temporary road so they can get their cars in and out of the neighborhood. As for the levee protecting Lawson Road, Burks says flood waters already washed away several feet of it. Burks says his office may be able to come in and pump out some water from the pond to alleviate some of the pressure.
