Flood threat leads to closure of Deweyville schools Thursday, Friday
The threat of flooding has prompted the Deweyville school district to order the closure of schools Thursday and Friday. The district hasn't determined if schools will remain closed Monday.
The Sabine River Authority is releasing water from the Toledo Bend Reservoir and flooding is expected in communities near the Sabine River in Deweyville and Bon Wier.
The 11 spillway gates were open four feet as of Wednesday morning. Donnie Henson, Operations Manager of the Sabine River Authority, told KFDM News the gates might be lowered to three feet if conditions allow for that.
Preliminary crest information Tuesday from Burkeville indicates the Sabine River crested at 44.1 feet, the ninth highest level recorded. The authority has cancelled the flood warning for Burkeville. The river is below flood stage and will continue to fall, based on released from Toledo Bend, but is expected to remain elevated into next week.
A flood warning continues for the Sabine River near Bon Wier and Deweyville. The river level in Bon Wier was 36.3 feet as of Wednesday morning. Flood stage is 30 feet. Major flooding is occurring and forecast to continue. The river is near crest and will begin to fall later Wednesday. It'll remain above the moderate flood stage of 33 feet into the weekend.
The river level in Deweyville was 25.9 feet as of Wednesday morning. Flood stage is 24 feet. The river is expected to continue rising to the moderate flood category of 26 feet later by Wednesday afternoon. The river will continue rising and is expected to crest to the major flood category of about 28 feet Friday afternoon or evening. It's expected to remain at about 28 feet through Saturday before beginning to fall slowly next week.
Flooding is expected to be similar to the flood of March, 2001. Water might get inside some homes in Deweyville. Flooding of homes in Indian Lakes and River Oaks is expected.
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