Record flooding in Mississippi leads to train derailment
Written by RT&S Staff
Two cars full of carbon dioxide left the track near Brandon, Miss., on Aug. 24.
Heavy rains that have been hitting the southern portion of the U.S. has now led to a train derailment east of Brandon, Miss.
The train cars that were involved in the accident on Aug. 24 were carrying carbon dioxide. The derailment occurred between Highway 471 and North Street. No injuries were reported and officials believe a storm drain has washed out a portion of the tracks. Crews were on the scene trying to remedy the situation.
The same line of storms that led to flooding in Texas still carried significant strength when it moved across the Mississippi River. At one point the city of Brandon had 11 streets closed due to flooding. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency on Aug. 24 for almost 300,000 people in Jackson, Miss., and surrounding areas. Jackson took on 8.5 in. of rain over a 24-hour period, and the month of August is now the wettest in history with 11.57 in. falling so far.
As of the morning of Aug. 25, 5.5 million people were under flood watches.
RT&S will provide updates if and when they become available.
Read more articles on track maintenance.
