DeQueen, Horatio schools to resume classes Friday

(KSLA) - Classes are set to resume Friday in the Arkansas cities of DeQueen and Horatio.

But school buses the two Sevier County school districts were at a standstill Thursday.

That's because classes were canceled due to flooding brought on by heavy rains overnight.

"We got about 4.89 inches of rain as of this morning," Walter Smith, director of Sevier County Emergency Management, said Thursday.

Sevier County normally can handle that much rain, he added, but rainfall the past couple weeks has been abnormal for the area.

"Last week, we got 12 inches of rain. The ground was saturated. The water had nowhere to go. That is what hurt us so bad with that rain we got last
 night."

Several DeQueen residents were asked to evacuate their homes when floodwaters began surrounding their residences.

"No water got into the residence," Smith said. "They were just doing it as a precautionary measure just in case the water did get up (so) we wouldn't have to go in and make a rescue."

Another area of concern to emergency managers has been where a bridge is being built on Highway 41 across Little River about three miles southwest of Horatio.

Workers have a crane sitting on a barge. The barge is tied to two bulldozers and a track hoe to keep it from floating away.

Thursday morning, a construction company spokesman said the tactic is working so far.

However, the emergency management director noted, more water is expected in Little River.

"I am expecting the Little River down at the 41 bridge south of Horatio to come up significantly," Smith said.

"At this time, I don't know any measurements. But we are going to get a lot more water."

Little River is a boundary between Sevier and Little River counties. Officials from both counties say they will continue to monitor what takes place on the
river.

Not all Horatio students got a break Thursday.

Horatio ISD used social media to inform students that those with digital classes still were expected to participate.

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