Historical Floods

The Flood of 2019

The flood event was reported to be one of the rarest floods, possibly happening once in 200 years. Five people were killed in the waves, which caused estimated property damage of around $ 3 billion. On May 20th, 2019, as the state of emergency was declared in Arkansas and Oklahoma by the national major disaster team. The situation in Oklahoma led to all the water reservoirs filling up. The storage systems were overwhelmed, which necessitated the need to release the excess water. The combination of the running water from the long rains and the released water made the Arkansas river swell and break to adjacent lands. The towns near the river, including the Tulsa metropolitan, were inundated. In Little Rock, the officials were quick to act. Amid the dangers of the floods. U. S Corps Engineers prepared by fortifying the dam walls to ensure that the walls stay strong enough to handle the rising waters. The Pulaski County officials also made sure that the bridges were closed, school shut down, and all the people and livestock were moved to safer ground. The crops in all the farms were, however, completely destroyed. According to U.S Corps Engineers spokesperson Laurie driver, the river Arkansas structures were not made to handle massive water floods. This is why the flooding water overpowered the river and started to creep to the surrounding areas, slowing rising in the farms and residential homes. Impact and the aftermath After receiving one of the most historical floods in the history of Little Rock capital, property estimated to be worth 3billion was destroyed. Crops in the farms were destroyed entirely, with more than 3000 people rendered homeless with the floods wrecking their homes. Five people lost their lives to the waves, major parks and recreational areas in Little Rock were also destroyed with dominant wildlife animals being moved to other areas. People lost their livelihood and were forced to spend long nights in rescue camps. For the government, many resources were used in the rescue mission and in relocating the peoples. The recovery of the city took a long time as the water levels went down is a slow manner. The soil was also clogged with water meaning that no reconstruction could happen for an extended period. The floods are not the only natural disasters that have affected the city. It has been on the receiving end of ice storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes.