Heavy rains have caused the Yellow River to rise to 12-to-13 feet this week, spilling out of its banks to flood a nearby RV park.

Riverside Mobile Home Park, located off I-20 and Almon Roads, was under water Tuesday, flooding one RV and one mobile home and endangering another mobile home on Sycamore Trail.

"They're expecting the river to crest and begin to fall, but it’s going to be a slow flow," said Jody Nolan, Director of Newton County's Emergency Management Agency (EMA).  "[Meterologists are] not anticipating an enormous amount of rain, but every thing’s saturated, so it may rise up to or sustain flooding levels again over the next few days."

The families affected are staying with other family members, according to Nolan.

Nolan said leaves flowing into and stopping up culverts also have caused 12 Newton County roads near the river to flood.

"Newton County Public Works has worked diligently to keep the roadways open, and they’ve done a very good job,"he said. "They worked all evening and all the roads are opened."

Nolan warned people that rushing water kills more people in the U.S. annually than tornadoes.

"If someone is traveling on a road and they see 6-to-8 inches of water, turn around," he said. "Every time we have the least amount of flooding that can become a problem, especially with flash floods and heavy amount of rains. 

"People try to drive over the roadway and they're swept away, sometimes hundreds of yards downstream," he said. "Once a vehicle's undercarriage is afloat, it washes away a vehicle and that's where most of the fatalities happen."

Nolan said EMA began working with the Newton County Schools transportation director at about 1 p.m. yesterday to keep the school's informed about road closings and floodings.