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"The purpose is to have everyone in one spot to communicate," said John Jenkins, Washington County fire marshal. "Everyone in here has several people in the field reporting to them."

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, rainfall amounts across Washington County had totaled more than 3 inches, with an additional 1. 5 inches expected overnight.

Jenkins, along with representatives from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the county judge's office, Fayetteville police, Central Emergency Medical Service, Fayetteville Fire Department and amateur radio operators were among those working from the operations center Tuesday.

"We've recommended that the EOC be staffed to a minimum level to collectively disseminate information in a coordinated manner," said John Luther, county emergency management director. "It gives our emergency responders a chance to sit face to face and gather the information that's coming in to make decisions."

In addition to county maps and national weather radar, the center is equipped with several computer stations and radio equipment.

Jenkins said area officials worked together to compile a master list of area street closings Tuesday.

"We've had a lot of road closings coming into our offices, and we want to make sure we're not repeating any," he said. "That's why it's great to have everyone in one room."

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, emergency personnel had only responded to one water rescue.

West Fork police and swift water rescue crews were called to Granite Road at about 10 a.m. Tuesday in reference to an abandoned truck found in the middle of Dye Creek.

According to county Sgt. Richard Green, the incident was reported by a neighbor.

"I think the driver tried to cross the creek and his truck got stuck," Green said. "After that, he went to borrow a neighbor's tractor to pull his vehicle from the creek. When the neighbor went to check on him, the tractor was in the water, too."

Emergency rescue workers searched for the man, later identified as 48-year-old Clint Caudle, but the rescue was quickly called off due to safety concerns associated with flooding conditions. Officials said the search for Caudle would resume when the rain tapered off.

"The tractor had been turned off and his cell phone was in the seat when the neighbor found it," Green said. "Right now he's listed as a missing person."

Jenkins said the majority of weather-related reports made by area residents on Tuesday pertained to flooded streets. Reports of flooded homes, bridges and lakes also surfaced throughout the day.

John Taylor, public information officer for the Johnson Police Department, said police were forced to shut down several streets.

"It's like we're in a submarine," he said. "Johnson Road is underwater and the creek is still rising. If you get off of Interstate 540, you can't go east or west if you're on Main Street."

Elkins police Chief Shawn Ellis said flooded roadways began to worsen in his town by 2 p.m.

"Highway 16 has water in the ditch almost to the roadway, and First Street is about to crest and come across the road," he said.

Conditions in Elkins continued to worsen by Tuesday night, with several residents reporting that water from the White River was approaching their homes. Personnel from the Sheriff's Office and Elkins Fire Department stacked sandbags in hopes of keeping the riverbanks from reaching the homes.

Residents forced to evacuate their homes because of flooding were encouraged to call the American Red Cross at (479 ) 841-1011.

Flooded creeks and clogged drains caused rainwater to act as a moat around the retirement center Peachtree Village in Farmington on Tuesday.

"A lot of our residents are very paranoid about water getting into the building," center Director Daisy Glenn said. "We told them to unplug any lamps or electrical appliances located near their doors. We also put sandbags outside their backdoors in case we get more rain."

Glenn said past flooding episodes have prompted Peachtree employees to act quickly.

"The last flood we had was in 1999," she said. "It happened at midnight. We were running around trying to find people to take care of our residents while we tried to stop the flooding."

Though the city has since added a new drainage pipe to the facility's parking lot, Glenn said large amounts of rainfall still overwhelm the property.

Farmington Business Manager Melissa McCarville said the city has looked at making additional improvements to the property in the past.

The Emergency Operations Center reported that water levels were beginning to recede and conditions were improving in most areas of the county by about 9: 30 p.m. Officials issued a notice at about that time stating the center would be standing down at 9: 41 p.m.

National Weather Service meteorologist Max Blood said rain began falling in Washington County at about 11: 30 p.m. Monday. While most of the area received about 3 inches of rain, he said, other portions of Northwest Arkansas received up to 6 inches. Washington County remained under flood warnings for much of Tuesday, and showers were expected to continue until about midnight.

"I wouldn't say this amount of rainfall is unusual for this time of year," Blood said. "What I do think is unusual is the size of the system. Most of the rainfall amounts were uniform across the area."

BY KATE WARD
Northwest Arkansas Times