Chris Sharp studies the water damage from the Pearl River that floods his neighborhood in Jackson, Miss., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Residents of Jackson braced Sunday for the possibility of catastrophic flooding in and around the Mississippi capital as the Pearl River rose precipitously after days of torrential rain. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
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00:55 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

The Pearl River in Jackson, Mississippi, reached its third-highest crest on record as flooding impacted hundreds of homes and businesses.

The river is currently cresting at 36.7 feet and will go down from that peak soon, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday.

“After days of rising floodwaters, we do have positive news to report,” Reeves said.

Localized flooding continues near the Highway 80 area, Reeves said. The river isn’t expected to drop below major flood stage until sometime Wednesday.

The river’s highest level on record is 43.3 feet, set in April 1979. The next highest level was 39.6 feet, set in May 1983.

Homeowners in Jackson, Mississippi, use shovels to work their way through Pearl River floodwaters on Sunday.
Homeowners in Jackson, Mississippi, use shovels to work their way through Pearl River floodwaters on Sunday.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP

Emergency officials were coordinating responses in flooded areas, Reeves said, but all immediate needs are being met. Officials said they’ve taken part in 16 search-and-rescue operations across the state.

Several neighborhoods in northeast and downtown Jackson, the state’s capital, were evacuated in anticipation of the flooding. After the governor declared a state of emergency Saturday, law enforcement officers went door to door urging at least 510 people to leave their homes, Reeves said Sunday.

Hundreds of homes have been damaged by the flooding and the number is expected to increase to at least 1,000, said Malary White with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

The agency said Sunday that four injuries had been reported in Grenada County due to hydroplaning. And the issue is expected to remain for some time.

“We don’t anticipate the situation to end any time soon. It will be days before we are out of the woods and the water starts to recede,” Reeves said Sunday.

Hinds County and Jackson emergency officials urged parents to keep their children out of the water, according to CNN affiliate WAPT.

“There’s a lot of contamination, a lot of sewage. It’s not safe. There’s a lot of swift water, a lot of unknowns. We don’t need a tragedy out of this,” said Hinds County Emergency Management Director Ricky Moore.

More rain is expected to push into the Southeast again this week, with a swath of 2 to 4 inches of rain expected from Texas to Georgia, with locally higher amounts.

The open trunk of this vehicle is reflected in floodwaters from the Pearl River in northeast Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday.
The open trunk of this vehicle is reflected in floodwaters from the Pearl River in northeast Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP

More than 150 river gauges remain above flood stage from the Ohio Valley into the Southeast, with another 130 near flood stage.

CNN’s Nicole Chavez, Janine Mack and Pierre Meilhan contributed to this report.