Helena Crossing residents say repeated flooding has left neighborhood neglected; city staff point to watershed limits and buyout option on hold

Tammy Perry Foreman, pastor of Beauty Fascist Ministries in West Helena, told the Helena City Council that her Helena Crossing home flooded five times during the seven years she lived there and that promised ditch work never happened. "But 7 years that I have lived there, it flooded 5 times," she said.

The council heard that flooding in Helena Crossing is frequent, fast and worsened by clogged or flattened ditches. Reverend Danny Robinson, who said he has lived in the area for decades, described older ditches now driveable and urged clearing them: "I believe you get them ditches, Doug, it'd be a whole lot better." A city official said some runoff comes from agricultural fields across Highway 44, and that when the water collects the area becomes a bowl with limited outlets.

The mayor and other staff told the council the watershed program had considered work and even relocation for some residents but that plans are on hold. A city official said, "the watershed did answer to...they want to buy everybody out down there. So that all that's on hold right now. So we gotta wait until see what the federal government does." That official also said some drainage problems become county responsibilities where ditches leave city limits: "Phillips County...does not clean the ditches when the ditches run out of the city into the county."

Speakers described localized impacts: Helena Crossing streets named in the discussion included Lucy, Gordon, Rembrandt and Lithicum, and speakers said a ditch that flows behind Helena Crossing School has accumulated cars and debris, slowing outflow. Foreman said sewage and debris left in standing water make yards and activities unusable: "Once it shuts off, it's full of sewage water and it stinks." She said she is moving because repeated flooding made the house unlivable.

Council members and staff responded with site‑visit offers. A council member said, "I'll get your number, and I'll come down tomorrow," indicating city staff would follow up with residents. City staff also said they had done some ditch clearing and lot cleanups at times but that full fixes require funding, interagency coordination and, in at least one proposal, federal action for buyouts.

What happened: public commenters reported repeated, fast flash flooding that residents said was not fixed despite past promises; city staff described structural and jurisdictional constraints and said a watershed buyout is under consideration but on hold. Next steps mentioned on the record included city staff visiting the area and sharing contact information for follow up; no binding action or funding commitment was recorded at the meeting.