- South and Midwest face potentially catastrophic rains and floods while reeling from tornadoes
- Deadly 2024 hurricanes prompt WMO to retire three names
- Body recovered in North Carolina identified as East TN man who has been missing ever since Hurricane Helene
- Report: Coastal flooding could threaten 1.4 million homes by midcentury
- Caught on camera | Tornado touches down in Missouri
Record flooding causes levee breach in western Arkansas
Traffic moves over the I-540 bridge as the Arkansas River floods along Adams Street Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Van Buren, Ark. AP Photo
DARDANELLE, Ark.
Officials say a levee along the Arkansas River has breached, prompting an evacuation of a rural area in the western part of the state.
The levee breached early Friday at Dardanelle, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. Yell County officials had anticipated the breach and urged residents in the nearby Holla Bend area to evacuate Thursday.
Little Rock television station KATV reports that water was rushing through the levee Friday.
National Weather Service data showed a dip in the water level at Dardanelle, likely due to the breach. A flash flood warning was issued early Friday for the area, and forecasters said residents should be prepared for rapidly rising water.
The levee breached because of ongoing flooding along the Arkansas River, which began in Oklahoma.