Water levels cause concern at Oktibbeha County Lake

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The situation at Oktibbeha County Lake has raised concerns for county leaders and residents in the area.

County inspectors said heavy rainfall over the last few days could be enough to cause a possible breach.

Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Director Kristen Campanella said the dam has been inspected twice since Tuesday morning.

Emergency officials have temporary measures in place to help control the water levels on the dam.

Now, voluntary evacuations are underway in Oktibbeha County.

“If things get worst my plan would be to evacuate get my most important papers and my Bible and different things like that, ” said homeowner Lula Mae Howard.

Howard feared for the safety of her home.

She said if the dam breaches at the Oktibbeha County Lake, she and many others could face flooding.

“I’m praying for the people on the other side,” said resident Kassidy Porter.

At least 200 homeowners will be affected if the levee fails.

Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said crews were already working to relieve pressure on the dam.

“We had set up for siphons, it will allow water to come up over the dam and flow into the creek,” said Rosenhan. “We won’t really reduce the level because it’s a lot of water out there but we will take care of a lot of the rain we’ve had. We still have water coming off the woods it takes a while to drain. ”

Until then, residents, like Howard, are packing their bags.

“Get ready to evacuate, if we have to go, we have to go,” said Howard.

“I hope they’re preparing because anything can happen and they should always have a backup plan and somewhere to go in case of emergency,” said Porter.