Rising water causes rising risk for residents
Staff writer
Last Wednesday, most low-lying areas in Marion County were overflowing with heavy rains that fell the night before and two days earlier.
Acting road and bridge superintendent Tom Holub said flooded roads caused four vehicles to become stranded by 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Fire and rescue crews were summoned to a vehicle stranded with water coming inside shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday on Nighthawk Rd. near 80th Rd. Holub said the driver failed to use caution.
“He actually went around a car that was already stopped,” Holub said. “He pulled up beside him, threw his hands up and drove on into the water.”
Holub said residents weren’t paying enough attention to high water on roads.
“A lot of our spots have ‘roads may flood’ signs up all the time,” Holub said. “We don’t have near enough barricades to go to every spot that may flood.”
Holub said the road department focuses its efforts on highways and paved roads. They don’t worry much about side roads.
“We think the locals should know which roads are likely to flood,” Holub said.
Holub set up barricades on 190th Rd. a half-mile west of Marion late Tuesday afternoon, then hurried north on K-256 to set up more barricades where water was rising over the Cottonwood River bridge.
Rising water resulted in closure of the US-50 and US-77 roundabout north of Florence. The roundabout at US-56 and US-77 east of Marion was also closed.