Saturday Morning -- 4:00 AM Update:

Despite overnight rains, authorities say they are seeing the first signs of improvement in West Wichita.

Sedgwick County dispatchers say a few homes in the 1900 block of 135th Street West were evacuated overnight as heavy rains pushed nearby creeks and streams out of their banks again. Authorities at the emergency command center near Central & Maize say only one family needed rescuing after waters surrounded their home. There were a few reports of stalled cars, but an otherwise quiet night compared to Friday afternoon.

Authorities say with the additional rains, they've run out of barricades to block all the flooded streets in Wichita. They are continuously moving barricades as needed from location to location as the waters surge southward.

Drivers are urged to use extreme caution and avoid flooded roads.

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Emergency crews have a message for Wichita area residents... if you live in a flood prone area, you may want to leave your homes.

Firefighters made the recommendation to limit the number of possible rescues.

The City of Wichita Fire Department and Sedgwick County Emergency Management have begun alerting residents in west Wichita subdivisions about the possible flooding dangers.

Those subdivisions, located in the Cowskin Creek Basin, include the Dell, Hidden Lakes, Rainbow Lakes, Breezy Point and the area around Lynndale and 119th Streets.

Heavy rains over the past 24 hours have created the need for extreme caution and alertness, according to Chris Carrier, City of Wichita Public Works Director.

“We’ve had eight inches of rain in parts of the Cowskin Creek basin in one day,” Carrier said. “By comparison, the Halloween flood of 1998 was caused by eight inches of rain in two days.”

The intense rain has caused Dry Creek to climb to within one foot of flood levels that would divert water into Wichita, one of the key contributors to the 1998 flood, he said.

Depending on individual circumstances, residents should consider actions from evacuation to protection of property, Carrier said.

Heavy rains created localized flooding across the Wichita metro area overnight.

One of the hardest hit areas in Wichita is along Maize Road, from Central to 21st street. Many cars have been stranded by the high water. The Cowskin Creek is out of its banks at several locations.

There were several rescues in the area of 119th West and Kellogg. Firefighters waded into chest deep water to reach people.

Homes in the 1300 block of Lark Lane are completely flooded.

The Emergency Accident Reporting Plan is in effect in Wichita.

Kathy Guy, Butler County assistant emergency management director, said about six inches of rain fell overnight in Augusta and Rose Hill. More than five inches were reported in the northeastern part of the county.

The rainfall led Douglass Schools Superintendent Rob Reynolds to close school this morning. He said bus routes were under water. There are no evacuations underway in Douglass. At 8:30, the City Manager said the water is receding.

Classes were also canceled at USD 205 Leon.

In the Wichita area, drivers should avoid the following areas because of flooding:

- Pawnee and Meridian
- Pawnee and West
- Seneca and Haskell
- 21st St. N. and Maize
-Broadway from 69th to 77th North.

Barricades are set up at 119th St. W. and Maple.

Twelve roads in El Dorado are closed due to high water. City Manager Herb Llewellyn said the city water plant recorded 4.7 inches of rain in 12 hours.

One officer reported a foot of water on U.S. 160 in the town of
Harper.

The National Weather Service predicts more rain is expected throughout the day. Highs are expected in the high 70s.