By John Howell
 While most people in Panola County enjoyed another sunny, spring-like day Wednesday, a group of determined friends, kinfolks and neighbors were trying to stop the advance of water steadily rising toward homes east of the Dummy Line Road, just south of the Panola/Quitman County line.
The homes of W. L. Turner and Lillie Simmerman were already surrounded by a low levee made from polypipe filled with water, tubing used to carry irrigation water in drier times but now pressed into service throughout the Delta to stop fluid encroachment. The brown floodwaters had reached the floor of two structures,  farm shops where Barry Simmerman’s equipment was parked.
Outside the polypipe levee, two track hoes worked furiously. Water covered their tracks, but in the cabs operators Will McCurdy, Brian Gee and Billy Eades alternated at controls keeping the machines working non-stop to build an outer levee from the thick gumbo submerged underneath. The track hoes worked separately, each building an end of the levee toward the other.
“Once they finish, they’ll start pumping the water out,” said Jerry Roy, a neighbor who had joined Barry and B. J. Simmerman and Bruce Turner, among others, standing by to place the pumps when the mud work was finished.
The two track hoes steadily clawed up scoops filled with mud, turned and dropped it atop the lengthening levees, then quickly turned to reach back under the water’s surface to scoop up more. When a section of the hastily constructed levee had filled out wide and high enough, the track hoe operator would ease forward a few feet and began scooping again.
The track hoes worked separately toward each other. They met about sundown, Barry Simmerman said, and the tractor-driven pumps started. By Thursday morning the pumps had removed water inside the levee while outside water had risen two or three inches.
They were building against the Coldwater River’s continued rise from torrential weekend rains, a rise that is expected to crest today.
Panola County Emergency Management Director Daniel Cole said his agency is closely watching homes on Maurice Mitchell Road, Edward Jones, and Highway 6 W near the county line, all being affected by floodwater from either the neighboring Coldwater River or Bobo Bayou.
The EMA director couldn’t say for sure that water was rising, “But it’s not going down,” he said.
Cole encouraged any home owners with water inside of their homes to notify his department. Also, those in mobile homes with flood water in floor insulation need to contact the Panola County Emergency Management Department.
“We need to know about it,” he said.
As of Thursday 25 homes had suffered flood water damage according to Cole who earlier stated current numbers did not include ag-buildings and out-buildings.
Residents of Quitman County continued to brace for Friday’s expected crest of the Coldwater River.