ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, May 17, 1996                   TAG: 9605170042
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER| 

PULASKI FLOODING NOT AS BAD THIS TIME

Floodwaters rushed through three areas of Pulaski on Thursday but stopped short of forcing evacuations from homes.

"It's not as bad as it usually is," said Lorena Schrader, who has lived on Dora Highway for about 50 years and said she is getting used to major flooding.

"Oh, yeah, every year," she said. The most recent came Jan. 19 when homes along Dora Highway, Kersey Bottom and Lottier Street were flooded. This time, the water stopped just short of Schrader's home.

The same thing happened on Lottier Street to the Larry Martin home, with the muddy waters of Peak Creek stopping their rise just below his yard.

"I've seen it higher. But not today," said Martin's father, Howard, who was visiting the home.

The town built a wall in recent years along one side of the creek in Kersey Bottom, the third area of the town where Peak Creek overflows its banks during periods of high water. As of midday Thursday, that wall was keeping the water from homes on the high side of the wall.

The town shop experienced some flooding, but the water was a mere inconvenience compared to last winter's flooding in town.

Over in Giles County, fears of flooding prompted the closing of all county schools by 1 p.m., two hours earlier than usual. Two busloads of children from Narrows Elementary School left school about 10:30 a.m. to beat rising waters from Wolf Creek and creeks in the Lurich and Stock-Pin areas, according to Principal Ron Skeens. But county officials reported no major flooding problems.

About 2.5 inches of rain had fallen in Pulaski by Thursday morning. "I think it's been uniform all over the drainage area," said town Engineer John Hawley.

The rain had not been hard, but it had been constant. All outlets at both ends of Gatewood Reservoir had been open for weeks, with no room left for more water to go.

Since the January flooding, Pulaski Town Council has been looking for possible government funding to buy up homes in flood-prone areas along Dora Highway and allow residents to move elsewhere.

LENGTH: Short :   50 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  PAUL DELLINGER/Staff. In Lottier Bottom in Pulaski, Peak
          Creek overflows its banks and onto a street, but short of forcing 
          evacuations from home. color.