Heavy rain and flooding trigger rescues, widespread road closures across South Mississippi

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Communities across South Mississippi are dealing with heavy rain and flooding as the remnants of Arthur move through the area, with multiple tornado, flash flood, and severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the morning.

In Stone County, Sheriff Todd Stewart said there was major flooding across the county, along with downed trees in the White’s Crossing area.

“We are asking everybody to stay at home and do not come out of the house. Give emergency response crews time to get the roadways clear and rescue those that need to be rescued,” said Stewart. “We are having some severe flooding where people are now asking us to come and evacuate them.”

Highway 49 was closed in both directions in Stone County due to flooding, but MHP reopened the road at 4:45 p.m.

In Wiggins, officials with the police department said East 5th Avenue was under several feet of water. As of 6 p.m., Wiggins Police Chief Tim Hill said the department had rescued over 50 people from flooding.

WLOX viewers also reported flooding along Vine Street, and police confirmed several road closures across the city.

Officials in Pearl River County said public works crews were out placing barricades on roads that were covered in water.

In Picayune, city officials said most roads are impassable due to flooding. Officials are urging people to stay off the roads unless it is an absolute emergency.

In Carriere, officials sounded the alarm on a potential collapse of the Anchor Lake Dam and even triggered the evacuation of 30 homes. Those evacuations were lifted later in the night, but officials’ concerns carry over into the next two days as rain is expected to continue hammering the Coast.

READ MORE: No imminent threat of Anchor Lake Dam collapse after emergency response, officials say

In Hancock County, a tractor-trailer overturned early Thursday morning on Highway 603 near Crazy Horse Drive.

Multiple rescue teams responded in Harrison County throughout the day. Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said Harrison County Fire Rescue, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Gulfport Fire Department and a swift water team spent Thursday clearing roadways and rescuing those in danger.

Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley said at least 45 people were rescued from flooding on Fred Diamond Road. Six of them were children.

In the Swan Lake area, a dam was structurally breached thanks to the overwhelming amount of rain. However, the break was no threat to nearby residents.

READ MORE: Dam in Harrison County structurally damaged due to heavy rainfall

Officials are posting active road closures online.

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