As flooding from the Arkansas River continued to affect homes in Jefferson County on Tuesday, volunteers turned out to help.
Chuck Crain spent most of his day Tuesday on a boat helping Altheimer residents retrieve items from their flooded houses.
“A lot of houses around here have taken some serious water damage,” Crain said. “The main road leading to these houses is under six to seven feet of water. We have had about 25 houses/families be displaced and we have about 12 to 15 people staying at the shelter.”
Crain is a volunteer fireman at the Swan Lake Volunteer Fire Department, 14997 South Arkansas Highway 88. The fire station is being used as an emergency shelter and is being supplied by the Salvation Army and American Red Cross. An emergency shelter has also been set up at the Wright-Pastoria Volunteer Fire Department, 8599 Arkansas Highway 256.
According to the National Weather Service website, flood waters on the Arkansas River at Pine Bluff are expected to crest Thursday morning and will start receding Friday.
Those affected by the flooding have been asked to contact the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management***. The phone number of the Jefferson County OEM office is 870-541-5471.
***This article has been edited from its original version to correct information. Originally, the agencies listed for people to contact were incorrect.