Residents in east Pocahontas are being evacuated tonight after a levee breach on the Black River is sending flood waters into homes and businesses in and around Pocahontas.
Randolph County Sheriff Gary Tribble announced along with Pocahontas Mayor Frank Biggers a levee breach near the Robil Addition. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for eastern and southern Pocahontas, College City and Portia. According to authorities the east bank of the Black River is the largest area of concern.
Some streets in the Pocahontas area are closed to traffic, take precautions if you are in the area. Mandatory evacuations for low lying areas are underway.
Black River Tech College has announced it will be closed Thursday due to the flooding.
At 9pm the small levee on Pace Road was breached according to Pocahontas Fire Chief Scott Baltz. Chief Baltz is asking everyone to stay out of the east Pocahontas area tonight. Police road blocks are set up on Hwy 304 and Hwy 304 East. At 9:30pm all 4-lanes of Hwy 67 were covered with water.
At 10pm the Black River at Pocahontas was at 27.78 feet and rising. At 11:45pm Rescue Boats were removing residents whom had not left the area earlier. Reports are coming in from Pocahontas of “chest deep water” in the streets of the flooded areas.
Photo of flooding at Wal-Mart submitted by Keith and Carrie Wilson.