OKTIBBEHA COUNTY — What is believed to be a flash flood led to the evacuation of 10 people Saturday afternoon in an apartment complex about two miles south of Starkville, according to Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan.
“We had a torrential rain after lunch time and started getting calls in the area of Poorhouse Road and Old Highway 25,” Rosenhan said.
The first call came at 1:38 p.m. from residents in an apartment complex on the northeast corner of Poorhouse Road and Old Highway 25, Rosenhan said.
“When the District 5 firefighters arrived, they reported four feet of water in the parking lot and water inside three apartments,” he said.
Some residents had evacuated by the time the firefighters arrived, but firefighters did assist five people in evacuating, including a pair of elderly residents.
Rosenhan said flooding occurred throughout the area, covering driveways and outbuildings, but did not enter any other homes. He said firefighters quickly disconnected electricity to the property to prevent fires.
“We contacted Emergency Management and aid organizations to help with the displaced people,” he said.
Rosenhan said the waters retreated quickly — roughly a half-hour. A check of area roadway culverts revealed no obstructions.
“It appears to have just been a really heavy rainfall over a short period,” he said.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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Photo by: Courtesy photos/Oktibbeha County Fire Services
