The City of Dumas held a meeting at the Dumas Community Center Thursday, June 10, 2021 to talk about flood damages to residents and businesses at the historic flood that occurred earlier this week.
Dumas Mayor Flora Simon, Doug, Linda and Adam Weatherford, Disaster Coordinator for the Methodist Church, Street Superintendent Shelby Slater, Dumas Police Department Chief Keith Finch, Desha County Judge Richard Tindall, Byron Mann, Volunteer Mission Coordinator from United Methodists of Arkansas and Beverly Wright, Child Development Center, presented information at the event.
Mayor Simon stated the purpose to the meeting was to provide information for members of the community and to get a better assessment of the needs of individuals, families and businesses. She said she has received some response outside of the community of how they could help Dumas.
Simon stressed the need for flood damaged homeowners and business owners to fill out the Flood Damage forms and return them by Monday at the City Hall. She is also working to set up two committees to organize volunteers. One will be for in town volunteers and the other out of town volunteers. She gave out several areas where citizens can access information from Dumas's Website DumasAR.net, the Dumas Clarion paper and website dumaclarion.com; the Dumas Chamber of Commerce and individual facebook pages on facebook.
Doug Weatherford presented information on forms, dispelled rumors, and where citizens can pick up sandbags if they need them. He dispelled the rumor that the Arkansas River levee didn't breach, but there was a breach along Canal 19 South of Dumas on Highway 159. Crews were working to finish repairs on that breach on Thursday. He said the forms being handed out will help to make an assessment of needs,but it doesn't mean we will get state or federal help. He wanted to dispel a rumor that that just because you fill out that form you will get state or federal help.
An Arkansas Department of Correct inmate work crew has been working since Monday to fill sandbags. Anyone need sandbags can come to the National Armory on Choctaw Street from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and collect as many as you need. They do not need to be returned. If anyone who isn't able or doesn't have a vehicle, call the Dumas Police Department for Dumas Volunteer Fire Department Chief Byrd to arrange getting sand bags for your location. The County provided two loads of sand to fill the bags and Byrd said they will be needing another load.
The city had some sandbags before the rain started, but they didn't have enough for all who needed them. They currently have 2,500 sandbags stock piles as of Thursday. The Arkansas department of Emergency Management brought Dumas a sandbag filling machine that will be put into use Friday. Byrd said Dumas didn't have time to prepare for this flood, and Dumas is not going to get caught in this situation again.
“One reason we are stock piling is the water is moving down south and the water is starting to build out east of McGehee. They are going to keep sending he inmates here to fill sand. We have the sandbags on pallets, but if they need them in McGehee or Arkansas City they can come here and we can load the pallets of sand bags here,” Weatherford said.
The City began picking up debris in City Wide Clean up starting Thursday. Residents have been asked to separate their items into pile like white goods including refrigerators, washers, and dryers; electronics, yard trash and building materials. The items must be sorted and placed by the curb for the city to dispose of them properly. Trash days will run on their regularly scheduled day.
Street Superintendent Shelby Slater explained that when Canal 19 fills up there is not place for the water to go. The Canal begins 15 miles Northwest of Grady and collects water from Grady, Gould Dumas and Pine Bluff.
“Some people want to blame it on the highway department, blame it on the city No way we can handle that amount in a short period of time. People want to dig ditches out, we have fiber optic cables, underground wires, you just can't dig ditches out. I want to thank Judge Tindall, Doug Weatherford, Fire chief, and Police Chief for continually working and doing all they can,”Slater said. “There is nothing the City of Dumas could have done. I want thank the Mayor and City Council for all of the support they have been giving us. Me, I want to thank my workers for all their hard work.”
He explained the importance of placement of trash and flood debris by the curb. He mentioned that the Dumas School District also provided a assistance by sending four school buses to Chateaux Desha to shuttle residents in the flooded area to the grocery store, stores, doctor's appointments or places they needed to go.
Desha County Judge Richard Tindall announced that the county verbally declared an emergency and will have the paper work to submit Thursday or Friday. The county has met with the Arkansas Department of Emergency management to begin assessment of damages. They are the ones that will provide funds for inspecting, reworking resident's houses and distributing funds. He strongly urged anyone working on their properties to take pictures of any work they done and to keep copy of receipts and check.
He spoke of the fact that FEMA could not be available due to the small amount of counties affect. He spoke of the possibility of State help and the importance of filling out the forms and documenting any work done. He also warned of scammers who may ask for money up front to work on a person's home, but will not do the work.
A audience member ask If the county was going a pick up like the city. The judge said if the resident called and gave him an address he would do anything to get out there to pick it up. An another audience member if the city had an emergency plan for emergency situations. The judge they had a emergency plan for getting people out safe, but not for rebuilding houses.
Byron Mann, Volunteer Mission Coordinator for United Methodist of Arkansas gave out information about how to clean a flood damaged home and the time it would take to dry out. For those needing funds for repair, they will first need to wait for insurance, then state or federal assistance and if the funds are available a recovery grant could be provided by faith based organizations. He warned it may be responsibility of the home owner to get their homes cleaned out due to the lack of volunteers and money available and FUMC will try to do everything we can after that.
ChildCare Aware Representative Beverly Wright informed parents of educational material available for their children to keep them entertained.
