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GUSTAV REMNANTS CAUSE HEADACHES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY

By Ezra Mann/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Thursday, September 4, 2008 10:04 AM CDT

Winds and rain spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Gustav brought down rain-soaked limbs and large trees, said Wally Hunt, Jefferson County coordinator for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

Pine Bluff Commercial/Ralph Fitzgerald Workers from the Pine Bluff Street Department clear the debris from a fallen tree out of the road at 17 Longmeadow Drive on Wednesday afternoon .

The storm system moved in some time about midnight Tuesday and has caused isolated power outages, but the highways were mostly clear in the area, added Hunt.

One home on Pinto Road was reported to have had significant damage to the roof and the owner has received assistance from Southeast Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross of Pine Bluff, said Ruby Poteet, disaster action team coordinator.

Nathaniel Womack, another Pine Bluff resident, was injured while trying to remove a tree limb from his house on East Pullen Street and he was being treated in the emergency room at Jefferson Regional Medical Center at 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to officials at the hospital.

“My husband says I get too emotionally involved,” added Poteet. “You feel for them when they loose so much.”

Highways in Arkansas were primarily open even with the weather though caution is urged since some areas will be covered with water, including Arkansas 54 near the Jefferson County line, said James House, Arkansas Highway and transportation Department district engineer.

Police Lt. Bob Rawlinson said officers investigated a number of minor accidents Wednesday, but no serious injuries were reported.

“Because of the power outages, we have had some traffic signals that went out and the street department people have been out working on them, but they really couldn’t do anything until the power came back on,” Rawlinson said.

Crews at the Pine Bluff Street Department were out in full force clearing the roadways as well, removing tree limbs when possible and contacting Entergy when utility lines were involved, said Karen Copeland, representative of the department. Crews were to remain on call as rain was expected to continue at least the rest of the night.

The Army Corps of Engineers issued a small craft advisory for the Arkansas River with flow expected to reach and pass the 70,000 cubic feet per second level from Ozark Lock and Dam near Ozark downstream due to rains pushing flows above safe levels. Emmett Sanders Lock and Dam at Pine Bluff should see flows of 120,000 cubic feet per second by Friday.

The rain saturated the ground, making it increasingly likely for gusty winds to knock over trees and bring down power lines, National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Rickard said. Winds in central and south Arkansas were between 25 mph and 30 mph, with gusts to 45 mph.

The weather service said 3.96 inches of rain fell in Pine Bluff during the 48-hour period ending at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Commercial staff writer Ray King and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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