Vicksburg gets 11 inches of rain

Published 10:06 am Monday, March 14, 2016

A low-pressure system that passed over the Vicksburg/Warren County area Wednesday and remained until late Saturday afternoon dumped from 11 to 14 inches of rain in the area, depending on location, Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer said.

“We had 11 inches of rain in the city, and some of the outlying areas (in the county) reported 14 inches,” Elfer said.

Rainfall for the period from Wednesday through 6 a.m. Friday totaled more than 5 inches. Elfer said the heavy rains were in part responsible for localized flooding, a washout on U.S. 80 and runoff from the showers caused the Big Black River to rise, covering a section of Warriors Trail in the eastern end of the county.

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“Those were the two major areas,” he said, adding the section of Warriors Trail by the Big Black remained covered this morning.

The washout on U.S. 80 at Thorn Hill Drive forced the Mississippi Department of Transportation to close both lanes of the highway until March 25 for repairs, according to MDOT’s website.

“We also had reports of trees on some houses and flash flooding damaged a house on Highland Drive,” Elfer said. “We had a lot of rain, but we came through in pretty good shape.”

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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