Heavy rain leaves one Petal road washed out

PETAL, Miss. (WDAM) -The City of Petal is still dealing with the aftermath of Wednesday’s heavy rain.

Petal Mayor Tony Ducker said about six roads were shut down Wednesday. As of Thursday, only one remains closed, hence the barricades set up along Sherry Lynn Drive right off Oaklawn Drive.

Ducker said it is hilly throughout the area and the water flows fine. Unfortunately, the amount of water was the problem Wednesday afternoon, causing a slight washout.

“Basically the culprit underneath the end of end basically broke off,” said Ducker. “As you can see, probably as much as a third of the road has been undermined.”

“You probably could run across it, but we want to be cautious in events like this,” Ducker added. “We don’t want more rain coming and a car going over here.

“It’s going to be an inconvenience for the folks that live on the other side. There’s no houses right directly affected, but there’s a way to get in and out from the other side of the road though.”

Mayor Ducker said this area will be closed for at least a month until repairs can be made, even if that means partnering with the county and/or a private entity.

“There has been a repair years ago, maybe even over a decade ago that had been made, but (it) just didn’t hold up,” said Ducker.

“It’s a tough spot in the City of Petal when the Leaf River gets full, Greens Creek gets full and Matthew’s Branch. When you see those three areas get hit pretty hard, you know it’s going to be a long day.”

Although road closures may serve as an inconvenience, it’s always geared to keep everyone safe, especially as we prepare for even more rain.

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