QUITMAN COUNTY, Miss. — Folks living in Quitman County, Mississippi are breathing a sigh of relief as the Coldwater River continues to recede, just days after the river rose to flood levels and threatening some homes in the county.
As it snakes past the town of Marks, Mississippi, the Coldwater River continues to drop, but is still leaving its footprint on some Quitman County farmland. That includes a big part of Frank Gurley’s property, a collection of antique tractors and knick-knacks.
Gurley said he’s been here 40 years, and in those years he’s seen the Coldwater River flood many times. The last memorable time was in 2016, when he and his family surrounded most of the property with sandbags.
“The water had gotten up and we was trying to keep it out and it got us. It went over the sandbags and went into my house about a foot deep,” Gurley said. “The last one, I think, was about 20,000 sandbags. Just one time. There’s been a lot of times that we’ve done 25 – 30,000.”
Gurley said the Coldwater usually rises when the Corps of Engineers releases water from the Arkabutla Spillway. He says there are plans to dredge the Coldwater to prevent flooding, but that effort is taking longer than hoped.
He admits it may seem strange to have kept the sandbags in place since 2016, but he believes they’ll eventually be needed again.
From what he’s seen in the area, the flood threat has subsided, and that’s good news.
“The rest of the county right now, I think, is in pretty good shape,” Gurley said.