CONWAY, Ark. — Across Arkansas, several inches of rain fell from Monday night as Tropical Storm Beryl passed through.
Some areas prone to flooding, like Conway, didn't have many issues. However, the situation brought back memories of when the Lollie Levee breached during the historic 2019 flood.
"Without that levee, I don't know what kind of condition the City of Conway would have been in after 2019," said Joe Thrash, chairman of the Lollie Levee board. "It would have just been a devastating loss if that levee hadn't been there."
In 2019, the Arkansas River saw a rapid increase in water levels, causing record flooding across the state.
"Not just water coming down the Arkansas River, but all this sort of outpouring of anxiety," said Bobby Kelly with the City of Conway. "Everybody knew what was coming."
But what they didn't see coming was the then-90-year-old Lollie Levee breaching.
If it broke, thousands of acres of farmland would have been flooded and sent water into residential areas.
"It would have pushed waterway into the backside of Conway [and] Walmart five or six miles away would have been knee deep in water," Thrash said.
Thankfully, only five gallons of water had escaped when officials got to the breach.
Now, the levee has been repaired, and continual maintenance, such as replacing culverts and storm drains, has been performed to ensure its optimal condition.
So, when storm events like Beryl happen, the Lollie Levee is ready.
"A lot of the work that the levee board does out here... it's nice to know that they are quietly working behind the scenes, and should something happen that might or maybe catastrophic, we have our bases covered," Kelly said.
While the river rose during the rain we got from Beryl, the river levels are still considered low for flooding.