MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST– Heavy downpours could lead to flooding along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, according to the National Weather Service.
5-6 inches of rain was predicted for this week along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, particularly for those living along the Tchoutacabouffa, Pascagoula, Biloxi and Wolf Rivers.
The best way to stay a step ahead of the flooding is to be prepared, said officials with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency during a severe weather preparedness campaign in the Spring.
Flash-flooding is more common when heavy rains are falling over a period of time in one area. Flash-flooding poses a threat because there’s little warning, and little time to react. This is especially dangerous if your’e on the road.
“We have streets that flood over,” says Butch Hammack, with MEMA. “The best advice I can give for this is to not try to drive through the water when it goes over the road. You don’t know how deep it is, or if the road is washed out underneath.”
With flooding along the rivers, you do have a little more warning as the waters will take a while to crest.
“You can use sandbags to protect your home,” says Hammack, “but there is a downside. It is very labor intensive and takes a while. You have to find the bags, the sand, fill the bags and stack them. Then you have to worry about whether or not your’e stacking it high enough.”
Hammack says sandbags, if they’re stacked properly, do a good job of holding back the flood waters to protect your property. But they’re not lifesavers.
“If you’re told to evacuate, listen,” says Hammack.
Here is a list of self-serve sandbag locations across the coast, as reported by local media:
Harrison County
Orange Grove Community Center – 14416 Dedeaux Rd., Gulfport
Fire station at 1200 42nd Ave. – Gulfport
At the corner of Hewes Ave. and Glover St. – Gulfport
District 4 Work Center – 8300 34th St., Gulfport
Lorraine Road Work Center – Gulfport
Courthouse Rd. Pier – Gulfport
County Farm Work Center – 15001 County Farm Rd., Gulfport
D’Iberville Work Center on Auto Mall Pkwy. – D’Iberville
D’Iberville Farmers Market – D’Iberville
Pass Christian Public Works Center on North St. – Pass Christian
Long Beach Work Center – 605 North Seal Ave., Long Beach
Jackson County
Central Division Roads Department – 8500 Jim Ramsey Rd., Vancleave
West Division Roads Department – 6900 North Washington Ave., Ocean Springs
Fontainbleau Fire Station – 3901 Hwy. 57, Ocean Springs
City of Ocean Springs Public Works Department – 712-A Pine Dr., Ocean Springs
East Division Roads department – 10825 Hwy. 63, Moss Point
Forts Lake Fire Department – 10701 Forts Lake Rd., Moss Point
Escatawpa Volunteer Fire Department – 3801 Sentinel Dr., Moss Point
Moss Point Central Fire Station – 4204 Bellview St., Moss Point
City of Pascagoula Public Works Department – 4011 14th St., Pascagoula
Gautier City Hall – 3330- Hwy. 90, Gautier
Hancock County
Hancock County Arena – 4184 Kiln Delisle Rd., Kiln
Hancock County Old Annex – 3068 Longfellow Dr., Bay St. Louis
Lakeshore Community Center – 6440 Lower Bay Rd., Bay St. Louis
West Hancock Fire Department – 16006 Washington St., Pearlington
News Mississippi will continue to follow the flooding.
