Situation Update 5

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2007 – 11:30 a.m. Update #5

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) continues to receive damage reports related to the flooding, severe storms and tornadoes that have moved through the state since Friday. The State Emergency Operations Center remains activated to assist local officials as many areas of Oklahoma continue to be impacted by the severe weather.

One fatality and one minor injury are attributed to the severe weather.
The Oklahoma Medical Examiner reports a Canute man drown Sunday night following a one-vehicle accident. The man was driving along a county road two miles west and two miles north of Canute when his car was swept off the roadway due to high water during a thunderstorm, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) reports.

One minor injury was reported in Sweetwater due to the Saturday evening tornado however, the resident declined medical treatment.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports 5,682 power outages across the state.

OG&E has 5,545 customers without electric service. A majority of those are in the Edmond area where 3,694 are without power. PSO reports 137 Tulsa area customers are without power.

The American Red Cross has closed the shelter in Oklahoma City at Exchange Avenue Baptist Church, 1312 S. Pennsylvania. Red Cross officials continue to monitor other locations with a history of flooding and stand ready to open additional shelters if necessary.

Motorists are urged to avoid driving into high water. It only takes a minimal amount of moving water for cars to be swept away and there may be unseen damage to the road. Motorists who encounter flooded roads should turn around and find an alternate route. Flash floods are the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the nation.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation reports the following road conditions:

US-60 is closed at the Buck Creek bridge 4 miles West of Bartlesville, in Osage County.
SH-63 in Pittsburg County from Haileyville west to Bache Corner is closed due to high water.
Westbound SH-20, between US-75 and Skiatook, has been closed due to high water.
SH-10E east of US-169 at the Verdigris Bridge is closed where flooding has water over the highway.
Verdigris River Bridge is closed 10.6 miles west of the Craig County Line in Nowata County.
There are portions of SH-4 now closed now due to high water: SH-4 between Reno & 15th, and SH-4 north of Yukon.
I-40 westbound off-ramp to Virginia in Oklahoma City is closed.
SH-102 in Pottawatomie County is closed at the Little River due to high water. This location is seven miles south of SH-9 and one mile north of SH-59B.
SH-11 is closed at 112th Street North in Tulsa County.
SH-20 is closed between US-75 and Skiatook
SH-10 is closed between Welch and Lenapah to all through traffic due to high water at Verdigris River and Cedar Creek

Two Oklahoma National Guard water trailers remain in Ralston to provide potable water to the Pawnee County community of 400. The trailers were delivered Monday after flooding caused a water main break. Guard personnel will refill the trailers as necessary. Additional bottled water is being provided by the Stillwater Wal-Mart store.

The following reports were received related to the severe weather that occurred Monday and today.

Blaine County Emergency Management reports Canton received 4-plus inches of rain Monday morning and one elderly woman was removed from her home because of high water.

Flooding was reported at the SH-281/270 junction about three miles south of Greenfield.

After one car hydroplaned and landed in a ditch, OHP responded with signage warning of water over the road. The Cimarron River in the northeast corner of Blaine County is high but there are no reports that it is over its banks. South Canadian River is also high. The water situation in Okeene remains the same. On Friday, Okeene lost water service due to a break in the main county water line. They are making do with only the city wells. The county and surrounding communities of Canton and Hitchcock are on standby if needed.

Kingfisher City/County Emergency Management reports 2.6 inches of rain in the City of Kingfisher, 3.4 inches of rain southeast of the city, and 4 inches of rain in the Okarche area. Some rural roads are under water due to run-off and some creeks are out of their banks. The National Weather Service has predicted Kingfisher Creek will crest at 20 feet which is flood stage. They have also said that Uncle John Creek will crest at 20 feet and flood stage there is 21.5 feet.

Moore Emergency Management reports this morning saw significant street flooding in low-lying areas, but this is normal for rains of this magnitude. On Monday several streets were closed for a few hours, but all were reopened by noon. Moore Fire Department provided one water rescue where a person drove around a high-water barricade and a Street Dept vehicle. Also Monday morning firefighters responded to a house fire reportedly caused by a lightning strike. The fire caused significant damage to the residence. Lightning also caused damage to a secondary unit at the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. At the Moore Wastewater Treatment Plant (I-35 / south city limits) 4 inches of rain was reported as of noon Monday. Citizen reports indicate 3.5-plus inches of rainfall throughout the south and southeast parts of Moore. Street Department crews remain on standby to close streets if flooding conditions warrant.

Nichols Hills Emergency Management reports local street flooding and at least three homes with flood damage. Flooding has also damaged the Grand canal which feeds into the Deep Fork River. Approximately 150 feet of the canal bank has been lost. Several streets have received minor to moderate damage from the flood waters.

Norman Emergency Management reports officials are monitoring the South Canadian River and it appears it may be ready to crest. With water from the northwest region of the state continuing to flow to the river, officials stand ready to evacuate if necessary.

Oklahoma City Emergency Management reports street flooding occurred at many locations this morning including the following: Britton and Rockwell, Croyden Court and Sunnymeade Place, Britton and MacArthur, Northwest 88th and Harvey, Northwest 46th and Independence, Memorial and Bryant, Southwest 15th and Sara Road, Reno and Western, Shields and I-40, Meridian and I-40, Southwest 40th and Walker, Southwest 11th and Mustang Road, Park Place and Pennsylvania, Southwest 22nd and Pennsylvania, I-40 and Council. Also, at Southwest 29th and Morgan a street cave-in was reported and at Britton and Western railroad ties were damaged due to high water. Additionally, Oklahoma City Fire officials worked to get people out of high water at the following locations: Southwest 51st and Independence, Southwest 15th and Mustang Road, Southwest 59th and County Line Road, Southwest 29th and Council Road, Southwest 15th and Sara Road, Britton and Rockwell, Hefner Village and Britton, Northwest 88th and Harvey, Northwest 45th and Youngs, Southwest 15th and Kilpatrick Turnpike, Northwest 91st and Walker and at Southwest 89th and Mustang Road.

The Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reports crews from Alfalfa Electric Cooperative (Cherokee), Kay Electric Cooperative, (Blackwell), and Tri-County Electric Cooperative (Hooker), continue to assist with response, recovery, and repair efforts in Greensburg, Kan. The three, four-man crews, along with digger trucks, aerial basket trucks, and other vehicles and equipment were sent to assist Ninnescah Electric Cooperative in Pratt, Kan. Ninnescah Electric Cooperative provides electric service in and around the town of Greensburg, which sustained an EF-5 tornado Friday night.

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