Emergency officials have told the 242 residents of Garland City, Arkansas, to leave their homes because floodwaters are threatening to undermine a levee along the Red River. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said Friday that while the river is falling, pressure has created a sand boil through which water is seeping.
Workers are hoping to balance the pressure by pumping water into a pond on the "dry side" of the levee in far southwestern Arkansas. Emergency workers went door-to-door late Thursday to impose the evacuation order. A shelter opened in Texarkana, 15 miles away.
Heavy rains in Texas and Oklahoma in recent weeks triggered sharp rises on the Red River. A number of roadways in the area were shut down because of high water.
Beach Closings
Several swimming areas in Arkansas have been closed due to high levels of E. coli. The Arkansas Department of Health announced the closure of 19 swim beaches Thursday. Some of the beaches include Lake Ouachita State Park in Garland County and Devil's Fork at Greer's Ferry Lake in Cleburne County.
According to the department, bacteria-filled flood waters that the state has seen in recent weeks have brought an elevated risk of contracting infections. Department spokesman Kerry Krell said E. coli and other naturally-present bacteria can be washed from animal waste to swim areas by heavy rain.
Krell said water samples will be tested from the contaminated areas. Krell said a swim beach can open after two consecutive water samples test below the Environmental Protection Agency's threshold for E. coli.
