The Ouachita River raged downstream Wednesday in Arkansas as the Trinity River crested a record 30 feet above sea level in southeast Texas, adding to the regional disaster spawned by weeks of rain and relentless flooding.
In Indiana, meanwhile, the White River crested 111/2 feet above flood stage, threatening the town of Hazleton in the state's southwestern corner.The National Weather Service said the rain-engorged Ouachita, which flooded the city of Arkadelphia earlier in the week, receded rapidly Tuesday. The next target for major downstream flooding on the Ouachita is Camden, where the crest was expected to arrive Thursday at about 13 feet above flood stage.
About 34 homes were evacuated during the flooding in Arkadelphia, which washed out bridges and left two smaller communities isolated. The National Guard was sent in to help with cleanup efforts.
Worst hit by rain and flooding was Garland County in west-central Arkansas, which was declared a state disaster area Tuesday by Gov. Bill Clinton after he inspected damage at the resort town of Hot Springs, where 13 inches of weekend rain sent 6-foot swells through downtown streets.
Springwater bathhouses on the resort's Bathhouse Row were closed because floodwaters swamped the National Park Service's thermal water treatment plant.
Tourism officials were trying to salvage the town's economy by scheduling a "Save our Season" event Friday to let travelers know the town was open for business despite more than $5 million in damage.
In Texas, the rampaging Trinity River was cresting Wednesday at a record 30 feet above sea level at the Liberty Bridge, Liberty City Manager Roy Bennett said.
Water management officials in southeast Texas said Tuesday they had been able to reduce the flow of water through Lake Livingston dam into the lower Trinity River, but that the level some 82 miles downstream continued to rise after hitting a record 6 feet above flood stage.
"We hope we're peaking out. It should start spreading out into the backwaters because there's no banks left for floodwaters to fill," said Jim Mitchum, Liberty County emergency management coordinator.
Forty-one Texas counties have been declared federal disaster areas during weeks of flooding. The American Red Cross estimates 4,600 homes in seven counties have been affected by the Trinity River alone.
In southwest Indiana, Gov. Evan Bayh declared a state of emergency Tuesday in Pike and Gibson counties because flooding threatened to contaminate drinking water for about 5,000 people.