Rushing waters literally picked up two roads and dropped them in people's yards in Sherwood last month. One man worries that if there were a major disaster,, like a fire, help wouldn't be able to get to his house.
Richard White said, "It was like a B-52 came down here and bombed!" October 29th floods destroyed the private road leading up to White's house. "The rain was coming down and it sounded like a river out here."
White knew the damage would be bad but he didn't know how bad until the next day. The floodwaters swept away the family pet and damaged White's home and property. "I heard the water bashing against the side of my garage doors," he said. "I noticed my car was moved slightly like it had been picked up. I open the door, water comes out."
The floodwaters also tore up nearby Lee Avenue. With the creek, pond and ditches all around Sid Short experienced flooding before, but nothing like this. "This is the first time we've actually seen it do this type of damage," Short said.
The good news is Sherwood scheduled a contractor to start on repairs to Lee Avenue Thursday. White owns the private road and he's not sure how he'll make the repairs, but he knows something has to be done. "I can't get an ambulance back here if we need it. I can't get a fire truck back if we need it," White said.
The governor's disaster declaration paves the way for a federal declaration. If that happens, federal money could pay for infrastructure repairs. But the number of Arkansas homes damaged may not meet federal requirements for individual assistance. Some state money could be coming too.
