Anticipated weekend rain has residents near County Lake Road on high alert

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) –  Pumps are going in place Thursday night to relieve pressure on the Oktibbeha County Lake Dam.

The good news?

Engineers tell WCBI the water level has gone down since Wednesday.

“At this moment, the water level has dropped about two feet, maybe a little more since this all began,” said Marvell Howard, 3rd District Supervisor.

In what started as an impromptu search of the lake Tuesday morning, took a turn for the worse when engineers said they found mudslides.

Since then, large tubes have been pumping water from the lake to lower the water level.

And with rain in the weekend forecast, that can make the situation worse. One local resident said she is ready should the water start to rise.

“I probably could stay with my grandson for a while,” said Alberta Turner. “Until things get better. But I’m praying and hoping that it is going to be the other way around. At least I hope so. This is the first time we’ve ever had this to happen.”

And with the weekend approaching, Howard said crews will monitor the slides around the clock to make sure the situation doesn’t worsen.

“Our plans haven’t changed as far as trying to notify people if it’s time to move,” said Howard. “Other than that, just be patient and make sure you’re getting your information from an official source.”

Oktibbeha County EMA said County Lake Road will be closed while pumps are running to get water out of the lake.