MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has begun Phase I floodfight activities along the White River in Arkansas due to high river stages. The area of current or possible flooding is located in the White River (Arkansas) Floodfight Area. Communities that may be affected include Georgetown and Des Arc, Arkansas.
During Phase I floodfight activities, USACE personnel deploy to the affected areas and monitor all federal flood control works including levees, flood walls and pumping stations. They will also continue to monitor rainfall amounts in the affected areas, and National Weather Service forecasts to determine if further action is warranted. USACE will deploy additional personnel and resources as required to help ensure the safety of life and property.
Material assistance may be provided with close coordination with State and Local authorities. Material assistance may include portable pumps to remove water from flooded areas, plastic sheeting to cover levees and help minimize levee slides and erosion, and sandbags.
Citizens are strongly encouraged to stay in touch with their local authorities and emergency management officials for updates on conditions in their areas.
The USACE Division headquarters in Vicksburg, Mississippi coordinates all floodfight activities in the Mississippi Valley. The USACE Emergency Operations Center in Memphis directs all floodfight activities in its area of responsibility in conjunction with the affected states, levee districts and other local interest groups.
The Federal flood control works in the Mississippi Valley protect many thousands of homes, millions of lives and vast tracts of fertile cropland. The Memphis District’s flood risk reduction system has prevented more than $4.3 billion in flood damages and protected more than five million acres of cropland in the last decade alone.
Release no. 23-010