NATCHEZ — A portion of the former Natchez Eola Hotel building’s exterior facing fell from the wall during heavy rain Thursday morning, bringing cement, metal wire and insulation crashing onto the courtyard below.

The metal and fabric canopy covering the courtyard was ripped and bent, and debris even shattered the window of a vehicle parked on the street.

The car’s owner, Kel Richardson, who was at the counter of his clothing store across Pearl Street from the Eola, said he thought at first the falling material was trash being tossed from the upper floors’ windows.

“I look up, and I see stuff falling, and stuff started flying all across the street,” Richardson said.

Natchez Building Inspector Jody Rutter arrived at the scene approximately 15 minutes after the facing fell to rope off the courtyard area.

Rutter said entering the courtyard is very dangerous, and the material that fell is heavy enough to cause serious injury or death if it hits a person.

Those passing on the sidewalk should be safe from the heaviest falling objects, Rutter said.

“It hasn’t been raining that heavy for that long,” Rutter said. “I would have thought yesterday’s high winds had something to do with it.”

Rutter said he thought the damage may involve the area of the building damaged by Hurricane Gustav in 2008, but he wouldn’t know for sure if same piece of the exterior had fallen until the rain stopped and he was able to examine the structure.

Richardson said he was concerned about what the Eola damage might mean for his business.

“It’s not a good look,” he said. “Clearly that’s a sign that it’s just going down fast.”

A proposal to renovate the historic property into senior living apartments was scheduled to come before the Natchez Board of Aldermen on Tuesday, but was rescheduled until March 22 because of a scheduling conflict with local attorney Tony Heidelberg, who represents the hotel’s owner and developers.

In addition to the building’s damage, storms and heavy rain caused flooding in the city and in Adams County as the area received three inches rain of on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Natchez Public Works Supervisor Justin Dollar said his department discovered Thursday afternoon a collapsed portion of the 72-inch concrete pipe drain at the intersection of Liberty Road and Melrose Avenue.

The drainage has backed up into the parking lot near a nearby house on Melrose Avenue, creating a fast-moving river that ran through the property, washing away much of the house’s backyard.

Crews placed sandbags around the house to try and prevent further property damage.

Dollar said the collapsed section can be replaced when the rain stops, which should solve the recurring drainage problems at the house.

In the meantime, the intersection is closed and Dollar said residents and motorists should take special care while driving in the area.

“That’s the only major issue today,” Dollar said. “We’ve had a quite a few calls about minor drainage problems that we have fixed.”

Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford said flooding also occurred in the low-lying areas of the county.

He said local residents who come across flooded roads should not attempt to drive across them, but instead should call local law enforcement to report the problem.

Bradford said no roads had been closed in the county as of Thursday afternoon.

The Mississippi River at Natchez is predicted to rise to 47 feet on Sunday, Bradford said, which is only 1 foot below flood stage.

“We are continuing to monitor the river, and we’ll get another update to see if we’ll reach flood stage or not,” Bradford said.

The county is expected to receive 2 to 5 more inches of rain before the storm system leaves the area Saturday, the National Weather Service predicts.