Several roads remained closed, most of them in western Panola County below the bluffs that drain to the flat land along the rivers and tributaries toward the Delta.

By Rupert Howell
County Emergency Management Coordinator Daniel Cole said Friday afternoon that although water is receding in some of the areas, it is actually rising in other areas.

Cole was not expecting further serious rainfall like was witnessed Thursday but said, “It (the runoff) has nowhere to go.”

Local flood control dams have cut off their spillways causing both the Tallahatchie and Yocona in Panola to look almost empty compared to Friday when they crested over their banks. Downstream was a different story due to the far reaching system that dumped water from the top to the bottom of the country.

Roads closed due to high water include: Figg Road near Highway 322; Pund Road at Figg Road; Pumping Station Road; Pleasant Grove Road just east of the Tate County line; Tentside Road and Maurice Mictchell Road all on the western side of the county and South Pine Lake Drive on the eastern border of the county in Sardis Lake Estates.

“We’re asking drivers to turn around if they see water over the road,” Cole said explaining that it could cause further such as stalling out the car or causing life threatening situation.

Those residents who have been “trapped” in the homes due to high water have all been notified and are content to stay where they are according to Cole who said they have been contacted and no to call the emergency dispatch if they need assistance.

Cole estimated between 11 and 13 inches of rain fell in Panola County saying those figures came from reliable sources throughout the county. He said his office had sent a boat and crew to Quitman County early in the day Friday to assist with getting some residents there out of their home and later to assist with removing a deceased resident from a home.