KILN, Miss. (WLOX) — Highway 603 has reopened after floodwaters from the Jourdan River receded from the roadway. But for many residents in Jourdan River Shores, the recovery is just beginning as some homes are finally drying out enough for cleanup efforts to get underway.
Jourdan River Shores is no stranger to flooding. But after days of heavy rainfall combined with high tides, water overtook the entire community, leaving roads impassable and residents stranded.
“You know when you live on the river, things like this happen, but usually we can prepare for it, and this, we were prepared for what we usually see, not this unusual event,” said Scottie Cuevas, a Kiln resident.
Unprecedented flooding shuts down Highway 603
Cuevas said the flooding was unlike anything he had seen in the past decade.
“It was very crazy. At times it was worrying because you knew, as you can see the water flow through your yard and stuff, you knew stuff was just being washed away. Since I’ve been here in the past ten years, I’ve never seen water come across 603 like it did this time. It was shut us down for a quarter of a mile, half a mile of water just overflowing,” Cuevas said.
With the water slowly receding, residents are able to assess the damage, recover belongings and begin the cleanup process.
Robert Richards, a Jourdan River Shores resident, said he is cleaning up debris and mud.
“Just cleaning up stuff. Stuff we had downstairs in the tool shed and everything was picked up. So it’s just cleaning with sand and mud off of the ground is about all it is. We’re probably one of the highest points here and we had probably about two feet of water under the house itself. Normally we don’t get hardly any water,” Richards said.
Wakes from vehicles, boats create new challenges
Even as conditions improve, residents say new challenges remain. Large vehicles and passing boats continue creating wakes that push water back into yards and around homes.
“With the wake it was making, it was pushing trailers down and starting to float off. It moved some of our cars, shoved water in it. And some of the boats coming up the river doing the same thing. Any wake you had going yesterday with all the water in here, it disrupted the whole area,” Cuevas said.
Residents say the cleanup may take weeks, but the beauty and community they enjoy year-round make the difficult days something they are willing to weather.
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