Flooding is a yearly occurrence in Smithville, but residents said the high waters that arrived Tuesday night were the worst they've seen in years.
"I'm curious how we're going to deal with this every season," Deanna Burroughs said, looking out onto the deep pond that was once her backyard.
READ: LIVE UPDATES: Flooding and damage reported in parts of Kansas, Missouri
Storms dumped nearly 4 inches on the small town overnight, bringing the Little Platte River right into Burroughs's yard.
"My first thought was, 'Oh my God, my chickens have washed away!'" she said. The chicken coop is at the bottom of the yard, where much of the flood waters pooled. The water came right up to the coop. "The shed, all of the garden and everything is under water."
School kids JUST cleaned this park up & now it's underwater ? @41ActionNews @SmithvilleMO pic.twitter.com/5pPybikmab
— Sarah Plake (@SarahPlakeTV) April 27, 2016
The same was true of many of the town's main roads. Barricades forced drivers to turn around.
One driver who failed to anticipate the depth of the floodwaters got stuck in the middle of F Highway. He had to climb out the window of his car and into a Jeep that passed by to help.
GALLERY: Flooding and damage in parts of Missouri and Kansas after storms
Baseball practice at Heritage Park was canceled; its outfield looked more like a pond.
"We're used to this," Mayor Brian Fullmer told 41 Action News.
He said even with the dam nearby, the town still has to deal with flooding every year.
"As challenging as it can be, we do have an excellent staff, police department, and street department," Fullmer said. "Being a low-lying area, it just takes time for the floodwaters to recede."
As of 9 a.m., much of the water had already begun to recede.
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