PINE BLUFF, Ark. (KTHV) – The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management is focusing heavily on the delta with the potential for flooding to take place.
Remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon are predicted to hit southeastern Arkansas the most.
"Originally we thought it was going to be in SW Arkansas,” Dan Noble with ADEM said.
So, road crews in Pine Bluff are preparing last minute for the rain.
"As long as we don't get more than inch or inch and a half an hour we maintain pretty good,” Rick Rhoden said.
Rhoden, street department director, said at least five crews spent Wednesday, Sept. 5, clearing out ditches alongside the road. He said the street department cleans them out anytime a lot of rain is expected.
"We've got all of our chainsaws all sharpened up in case the trees happen to fall if the winds get high. We'll have those cleared pretty quickly,” Rhoden said.
If you have any ditches near your home, the street department recommends getting out and clearing them yourself. Dan Noble with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said it will have an on-call team on standby the next 36 hours.
“Just to make sure if there's anything to happen, we can get our people inside of our agency within in an hour to respond to anything we need to respond to," Noble said.
Noble said if you live in the delta, you need to pay extra attention to the weather.
"We urge people to be aware of their surroundings and to keep an eye on the forecast and be aware of what's happening and what could possibly come,” he said.
And if you come across flooding, do not attempt to drive through it.
"Turn around don't drown if the water is over the road,” Rhoden said.
If you live in Pine Bluff and come across flooding on the road, Rhoden said to call 911 so someone can come out and mark the area.
Any flooded area will have barrels around it. Do not attempt to drive through the barrels.