County Leaders Give Update On Oktibbeha County Lake

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- On Tuesday evening, leaders in Oktibbeha County gave an update on the levees at the county lake.

EMA Director Kristen Campanella said the good news is the rain fall had stopped and they haven’t seen an additional movements since an inspection was done in morning.

The county’s engineer conducted multiple inspections on Tuesday and the lake showed signs of possible damage.

Slides of dirt were seen in an area between Walter Bell and Riviera Roads.

County leaders then began taking a proactive approach in case things worsened, which was a possibility.

They issued voluntary evacuations and notified residents in the area about what’s going on and the potential impacts it could bring.

“We’ve gotten the word out that conditions are really favorable for maybe a breach of the dam,” said Marvell Howard, District 3 Supervisor. “At this point we don’t have a mandatory evacuation in place, but we do have all of our first responders and all of the resources available to handle a mandatory evacuation.”

“In the event that we start seeing some seepage, if the conditions of that levee changes at all, if it happens in the overnight hours, we’re going to send in our volunteer firemen with their lights and sirens and the sheriffs department with their lights and sirens in the affected areas to help wake people up because we don’t have a siren in that area,” said Kristen Campanella, Oktibbeha County EMA Director.

Red Cross has opened up a shelter at First Baptist Church in Starkville for residents.

The county’s engineer will be back out at the lake again Wednesday morning for another inspection.