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FRANKLIN

The warning for minor flooding from the Blackwater River is still in effect through the afternoon of Aug. 23, according to the National Weather Service in Wakefield.

Heavy rains from this past weekend have contributed to the surge. At 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, the level was at 12.4 feet. At Barrett’s Landing, the river had above the pier and lower steps below the gazebo. On Wednesday, part of Route 611 (Joyners Bridge Road) in Isle of Wight had flooded.

By 10:45 that night, the river level was recorded at 12.8 feet.

RiverGuard Jeff Turner told The Tidewater News that the Blackwater had crested upriver from the city at 12.78 feet, but as of 4:44 p.m. Thursday it was down to 11.06 feet and, he added, “is slowly going down.”

The NWS stated that rhe river is expected to fall below flood stage by Saturday evening and continue falling to 10.3 feet by Monday evening.

The agency also warns motorists to “turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”