‘It’s Never Done This’: Arkansas River Keeps Flooding, Testing Levees And Patience

May 31, 2019btollesonRSS Sample

John and Louise Hutchins stand in their garage in Fort Smith, Ark., behind a homemade sandbag barrier. They chose not to evacuate, in part because they did not think their neighborhood would flood.

The Arkansas River is rising well above its previous record, and it’s forecast to stay that way for days. That’s putting pressure on old levees and making it hard for some residents to evacuate.

(Image credit: Nathan Rott/NPR)