Flood in Randolph County, Arkansas

Heavy rain produced flooding in March along the Black River and it's tributaries. The flooding provided intense pressure on the county's levees. Two breaches occurred, one of them on the Scaggs-Ferry Levee. Numerous roads were closed from the high water including Arkansas 90, U.S.Highway 62, Arkansas 166, Arkansas 93, Arkansas 328, Arkansas 304, and U.S. Highway 67 South from Pocahontas into Lawrence County. By the beginning of April, over forty buildings including some houses and a senior citizen complex received damage from the flooding. Of those, ten houses were destroyed, thirty-four houses had major damage, and twelve had minor damage. Randolph County was declared a state disaster area. One death occurred. A teenager drowned when the boat he was in capsized in a flooded area outside the main channel of the Black River near the Noland community.

Heavy rain from numerous rounds of severe storms brought the Black River at Pocahontas to record levels during late April which continued through the end of May. The crest surpassed the Flood of 1915. Two levees broke sending water further away from its normal banks. Much of the area around Pocahontas was flooded as a result. U.S. Highway 67 was flooded between Pocahontas and Walnut Ridge. The Current River was also extremely high in Eastern Randolph County. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded. Roads and bridges were flooded and/or damaged. Evacuations occurred in Pocahontas and East Pocahontas. A woman drowned when she drove her vehicle into flood waters on Highway 67 between Pocahontas and the Lawrence County line during the early morning hours of May 3rd.

Heavy rain brought the Black River at Pocahontas to a record crest that topped the April 2011 flood. The levee east of town broke in at least nine places, including one 300 yard stretch, sending water across much of Randolph County. East Pocahontas was flooded and suffered major damage. Highway 67 was flooded between Pocahontas and Walnut Ridge. Highway 67/62 between Pocahontas and Corning was flooded. Highways 166 and 304 were also closed. Highway 304 was closed for 37 days. The Current River also flooded farmland in eastern Randolph County. Numerous homes, farms, businesses and vehicles were flooded. Many roads and bridges were flooded and damaged. More than 500 people were evacuated Pocahontas. At least 50 homes were destroyed or damaged by flooding in Pocahontas. The Elnora Freewill Baptist Church was heavily damaged. The Randolph County Jail had to evacuate prisoners.