NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR – Homes in the Rose City subdivision of North Little Rock were kept flood-free during the severe weather of Christmas 2015, thanks to a 1800-2200 gallon-per-minute water pump put in place by the city’s Public Works Department.
The pump kept floodwaters at bay during the worst flood the state had experienced since 1990.
As the Arkansas River began to swell over the holiday weekend and predictions indicated that a serious flood was inevitable, city officials warned residents of the impending danger and rented the water pump to keep water out of the homes in Rose City.
The pump, rented for $1,800, saved the Rose City neighborhood the much greater costs of recovering from the worst flood in decades.
The Rose City subdivision is located in a low-lying area in North Little Rock, approximately 700 feet from the Arkansas River. There are five homes typically in harms’ way in this relatively small neighborhood.
Intense, heavy rains prompted preventative measures. City employees prepositioned the pump in the subdivision so it would work as soon as the floodwaters began to rise.
KARK-4 TV reported at the time that cleanup from another severe storm in the area that spring cost the city $130,000.
“The city’s departments all work together to make sure residents in the area are safe,” said Fire Marshall John Pflasterer of the North Little Rock Fire Department. “Fire, police, public works, and the other departments plan for the worst and hope for the best,” he said.
During the incident, KLRT-TV Fox16 reported on Wanda Irvin, who lives on Crockett Street in the Rose City subdivision. Like others, her home remained dry during the flood because of the pump.
She told reporters she was grateful for the city’s efforts and that she and her neighbors were able to continue their daily routines throughout the historic flood. “Everyone kept calling to see if I (was) alright and if I needed anything,” said Irvin.
“Lately it seems flooding has been more frequent. Water has gotten as far as the porch on these homes, but the pumps get the water out before it gets in,” said Chief Pflasterer. “The pumps deploy two or three times per year to this neighborhood.”
FEMA offers a number of free online resources for home and property owners. To get started, go to: www.fema.gov/safer-stronger-protected-homes-communities or http://www.fema.gov/arkansas-disastermitigation.