Eight roads closed as crest expected Tuesday
Published 8:22 pm Monday, December 28, 2015
Residents take photos of flooding at Bloch Park.
By Chelsea Vance | The Selma Times-Journal
The Alabama River is expected to crest tonight at levels not seen since the historic floods of 1990.
The river is expected to crest at 49.8 feet at midnight and gradually go down as the week progresses.
At 3 p.m. Tuesday, the river was 49.5 feet at the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Sand Bar restaurant at the Selma City Marina.
That’s the highest the river has been since the historic flood of 1990, which the river reached 47.45 feet on March 21.
At least eight county roads have been closed because of flooding or the threat of flood.
Dallas County Emergency Management Agency warned people of the Bogue Chitto community and Orrville to avoid County Roads 17, 157, 946, 182, 326, 923, 924 and 951.
EMA Director Toya Stiles said that roads might not start to be cleared until Wednesday.
Selma Country Club.
“If you just have to travel the roads, use precaution. If you can’t see the road, I would suggest you not go through it,” Stiles said.
No homes have been threatened by the rising water, Stiles said.
She has been with the EMA for five years and said that in that time she has not seen flooding like what has happened over the past weekend.
Dallas County Assistant Engineer Heath Sexton said that roads have been barricaded with signs and flashing lights.
“Most of the roads that are closed are close to the Alabama River. We’ll be waiting for the water to go down. Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning,” Sexton said. “Once the water recedes low enough, we’ll remove any debris and open it back up.”
County Commissioner of District 4 Larry Nichols had advice from what he saw while riding through Bogue Chitto and other areas in his district.
“The Cahaba River and the Alabama River will crest in Selma on Tuesday, but down here in our area, we are usually 24 hours after that. So, we are predicting Wednesday here,” Nichols said.
He advised people to not travel on the roads and put emphasis on the danger of night traveling.
“There are hazardous roads because of flooding issues. The water is still rising and after dark you can’t see the water over the roads. Try to use precaution.” Nichols said.
If the Alabama River does reach it’s forecast crest, it would be the 12th or 13th highest flood since records started being kept in 1890.
The river also reached 49.83 feet on April 3, 1976.
