NATCHEZ — Water from the 50-acre Robins Lake poured over the dam on Robins Lake Road like a waterfall Wednesday, covering approximately 80 yards of the road and rendering it impassable.

Adams County Emergency Management Director Stan Owens said he strongly urged residents in the Robins Lake area and south of it to evacuate their houses as a safety precaution.

Mike Smith, of 59 Robins Lake Road, said he received a call from a neighbor about the flooded road and came out to check on his house.

The rushing water blocked Smith’s house.

Smith said the same area flooded approximately three years ago.

“But it was nothing like this. Not this bad,” Smith said.

Supervisor Mike Lazarus, who was on the scene at Robins Lake Road, said he has not seen this much rain in a short time span in a long time.

Owens agreed.

“I’ve been here 54 years. I’ve never seen effects (of rain showers) like this,” Owens said.

Smith said he thought a gravel road on the other side of the flooded dam would be opened for use to prevent Robins Lake Road residents from being stranded at their houses or unable to reach them.

Supervisor S.E. “Spanky” Felter said the private gravel road across from the failed dam was opened for public use Wednesday afternoon due to the emergency.

Felter said construction on the dam approximately six years ago added four culverts to allow water to pass by, for the purpose of preventing what happened on Wednesday.

But resident Smith said he is not surprised the repairs did not help.

“With this kind of rain, I don’t think it would make any difference what they did,” Smith said.

By 1 p.m., the stream of floodwaters on Robins Lake Road had narrowed significantly, but Owens said the rain was expected to continue until at least nightfall.

Lazarus said if the dam would have collapsed, it would release enough water from the lake to flood numerous homes in the area.

Owens said he did not think the dam would bust, but it was possible.

The road will remain closed until the county roads department deems it safe to pass, Owens said.