City of Jackson preps streets for potential flooding

BEMIS, Tenn. — West Tennessee is expecting quite of bit of rain tomorrow, and that means potential flooding for some areas.

Some areas like D Street in Bemis are already saturated with water. So how is the City of Jackson preparing for possible flooding from Hurricane Laura?

“We put all of our people out to do this when the storm is coming. Our main priority becomes that storm,” said City of Jackson’s street department director, Percy Jones.

Jones said they have about half a dozen crews out preparing the streets for potential flooding.

“We got the trucks. We get those gassed up. We have our barricades ready. We have our chainsaws gassed up and sharp, because time is always important when there’s a storm coming,” Jones said. “We’ve got people out checking drains, cleaning them, making sure they’re clean.”

They put together a list of problem areas from the last time it flooded to make sure they hit those areas.

“If they’re not cleared out, they’ll just flood because they’ll be clogged up quickly,” Jones said. “It’s like putting a rag on a drain in the sink. The water won’t go in there until you move the rag out of the way. You have to move the debris out of the way in order for the water to flow through the drain.”

But even though time is short, you can still help them by cleaning out the drains in front of your home.

“If you have a place you know floods sometimes, try not to throw anything out on the curb or gutter. Pick it up and throw it in the trash. It helps out a lot,” Jones said.

And a message from the City of Jackson: please stay safe during these storms.

We also talked to the Madison County Emergency Mangagement Agency. They said they are on standby for any problems that may arise from these storms.