West Memphis declares state of emergency as 'generational' storm prompts sandbag and pumping operations

Mayor Marco McClendon and Director Durraine Rose told the West Memphis City Council that the city is under a state of emergency because of severe spring storms expected to bring heavy rain.

"We are in a state of emergency and will be probably through Monday morning," Director Durraine Rose said, adding officials had stood up a Level 2 Emergency Operations Center and were manning pumps and distributing sandbags around the clock. "We could see upwards of 12 and 13 inches of rainwater," Rose said, warning that such totals can overwhelm any local pumping system.

The mayor credited coordinated work by police, fire, utilities, public works and communications staff. He said the city has been issuing frequent situational updates and urged residents to enroll in the city's alert system and to follow official social channels for minute-by-minute information. Communications staff were singled out for maintaining timely messaging across platforms.

Council members and staff discussed operational details: sandbag distribution at the West Memphis City Shop and at the Marion Sports Complex, plans to block flooded streets and to borrow barricades from state or county partners if necessary, and a commitment by the police department to file 12-hour reports tracking incidents such as house flooding and power outages.

The council set daily senior-leadership briefings at 3 p.m. for the duration of the operation and emphasized documenting expenses to align with the county emergency declaration already issued by County Judge Wheel for reimbursement eligibility.

The meeting closed the emergency discussion with the city urging residents to report flooded streets to city hall or through the mayor's office and to heed public-safety instructions. Officials said they will continue EOC operations and reassess after the initial Monday morning forecast period.