Section of Yalobusha River clogged with years of debris causing more significant floods in Calhoun County

CALHOUN CITY, Miss. (WCBI) – It wasn’t just a tornado that hit Calhoun County on March 31. There was also significant flooding that stranded many residents and left their yards underwater.

“I have an 83-year-old auntie that lives up the street and they had to bring her out in a boat,” said Calhoun City Alderman Marshall Coleman.

Coleman says he woke up at around 4 a.m. as rain poured down on his already half-submerged neighborhood.

“I didn’t know whether to fish or swim,” he said. “I just tried to get out of the house…the flooding was extreme.”

Coleman says there were nearly 18 inches of water in his home and he saw at least four or five boats rescue people in his neighborhood. He says the main cause of the flooding is the section of the Yalobusha River that has been heavily clogged for years. And he believes the situation is getting worse.

“Nothing was done about it so it continued to grow and grow until it got enormous,” Coleman said. “Big enough to cause these problems in this neighborhood.”

The logjam starts close to where the river’s canal ends and stretches close to three or four miles. It’s so bad in some areas, there almost isn’t even a river there anymore.

The blockage is so significant, it’s now damaging homes as far as 10 miles away.

“Many of these properties don’t have flood insurance,” Coleman said. “Then they have to foot the bill by themselves.”

Coleman says he is working to get as many elected officials as possible to take action on clearing the blocked section of the river. Staff from Congressman Trent Kelly’s office were there to survey the situation on April 6th.

“We know it takes time but he did take the time to send out representatives to come into this area,” Coleman said. “So it does give you hope.”

But he says the time for action is now.

“Because it can’t do anything but get worse,” Coleman warns.