Situation Update 5

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

Situation Update 5

May 4, 2019 – 8 p.m.

As a result of ongoing severe weather response and recovery efforts, the State Emergency Operations Center remains activated. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is in contact with emergency managers across the state and coordinating with agencies and organizations including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma National Guard, Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Oklahoma Insurance Department, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, National Weather Service, Oklahoma American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief and the Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

State of Emergency remains in effect for 52 Oklahoma counties due to severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that began Tuesday. Under the Executive Order, state agencies can make emergency purchases and acquisitions needed to expedite the delivery of resources to local jurisdictions. The declaration also marks a first step toward seeking federal assistance should it be necessary.

The counties included in the declaration are: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garvin, Grady, Haskell, Hughes, Jefferson, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Logan, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tillman, Tulsa, Wagoner, and Washington.

Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reports three fatalities attributed to the storms.

• Male, 55 years old, Tulsa
• Female, 58 years old, Bokchito
• Male, 58 years old, Stephens County

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health:

• 22 injuries have been reported by area hospitals as a result of storms in southeast Oklahoma on April 30.
• 10 injuries have been reported by area hospitals as a result of storms in southern Oklahoma on May 1.

McAlester/Pittsburg County Emergency Management reports numerous Haileyville residents have encountered potential scam artists while trying to clean up their properties after the April 30 storm. The following tips can help residents avoid being re-victimized by contractors or others trying to take advantage of those impacted by an emergency or disaster.

• Be cautious of anyone coming to your home or business uninvited and offering to do repairs.
• If a volunteer offers to do work on your property, ask if there will be a cost for the work before the work starts. Reputable organizations will never ask for payment for volunteer services.
• Be cautious in dealing with a contractor who asks for a large down payment.
• Don't be pressured into making a quick decision. Try to get three separate bids on the job.
• Ask for references and check them out.
• Insist on obtaining a written estimate or contract.
• Do not pay the final balance until the work is completed to your satisfaction.
• Ask contractors if they have done this type of repair work before, if they will be purchasing necessary permits, and if the work will be inspected. Be sure the contract spells out who will pay for any necessary permits.
• Always pay for repair work by check or credit card in order to keep a record and avoid double charges.
• Be wary of contractors who claim to be state or FEMA certified when, in fact, neither the state nor FEMA certifies or endorses contractors.

If you suspect fraud, contact the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at (405) 521-2029 or consumerprotection@oag.ok.gov. Download the Attorney General’s Disaster Scam Prevention Packet at https://bit.ly/2GUNYU0.

Contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department’s (OID) Anti-Fraud Unit by at (800) 522-0071 or fraudstoppers@oid.ok.gov or fill out a form online at https://www.ok.gov/oid/Anti-Fraud_Unit/antifraudconsumers.html.

An Incident Support Team comprised of emergency management personnel from Bartlesville/Washington County and the Village is deployed to Haileyville in Pittsburg County through Sunday.

An Incident Support Team was deployed to Atoka County Friday and today provided assistance in both Atoka and Bryan counties. The team included emergency management personnel from Grady County, Marlow, Purcell, Stephens County, and OEM

An Emergency Operations Center Support Team from OEM deployed to Bryan County Saturday to assist with operations and damage assessments. An additional OEM employee deployed to Atoka County.

Personnel from Oklahoma City Emergency Management and Oklahoma City Public Works deployed to Bryan County Saturday to help establish a debris management process for the incident.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation is assisting with debris removal in the towns of Lane and Bentley in Atoka County.

The Oklahoma National Guard continues to assist with roof tarping in Pittsburg County. Tarps were provided by OEM to Bryan and Pittsburg counties for temporary roof repairs. Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Salvation Army transported the tarps.

Civil Air Patrol is providing flyover photos and mapping of the impacted areas in Atoka, Bryan, and Pittsburg counties.

A Satellite COLT (Cell on Light Truck) remains in Blue to assist with connectivity issues for responders. The SatCOLT is provided by FirstNet, built with AT&T, in coordination with the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security and Oklahoma Public Safety Broadband Network.

Choctaw Nation is providing a sandbag machine to Bryan County.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation is providing a backhoe to Choctaw Nation for debris removal.

American Red Cross has distributed 446 bulk supply items and 205 snacks since April 30. They have also opened 52 cases with storm-impacted families.

Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief is providing chainsaw teams and debris removal assistance in Bryan County.

Mennonite Disaster Services is assisting with debris removal, cutting trees, and tarping roofs in Atoka County.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation reports the following highways are closed due to flooding as of 5 p.m.:

Cherokee County - SH-80 is closed four miles west of Hulbert near Fort Gibson Lake

Delaware County - SH-127 is closed near Jay just west of US-59 due to a damaged drainage structure; SH-85 is closed one mile east of the Craig County line due to flooding

Johnston County - SH-48A is closed at the SH-48 junction in Coleman; SH-48A is closed two miles north of Milburn.

Love County - SH-77-Scenic is closed at Lake Murray Spillway

To check current road conditions in Oklahoma, visit www.okroads.org.

When disaster strikes, the best way to support survivors of emergencies or disasters in Oklahoma is with cash donations to reputable voluntary organizations. Cash donations allow relief organizations or survivors to purchase what they need, when and where they need it. Buying supplies locally helps the local community recover by helping local businesses pay salaries and by keeping tax revenues in the community.

Other donated items are not needed or requested by local officials at this time. Do not send unsolicited donations of used clothing, miscellaneous items or perishable foods, which must be sorted, warehoused, transported and distributed. This requires more efforts and staffing to manage those resources and takes away from recovery efforts.Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management continues to ask residents impacted by the April 30 storms to report damages to their property at damage.ok.gov or by calling (405) 496-9329. Reporting damage helps local and state emergency managers better coordinate response and recovery efforts. Residents can report damage to homes, businesses or agriculture through the online survey.

Attorney General Mike Hunter today announced the state’s price gouging statute is in effect for the 52 counties named in the governor’s state of emergency declaration. The Emergency Price Stabilization Act prohibits an increase of more than 10% for the price of goods and services after a declared emergency. The statute triggers automatically after the governor issues a state of emergency. The law allows the attorney general to pursue charges against individuals or businesses that engage in price gouging.

For more information or to report a complaint, individuals can contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit by phone at (405) 521-2029, or email at consumerprotection@oag.ok.gov.

For Oklahoma residents seeking non-emergency disaster or health and human service information, please contact your local 2-1-1. Services are available 24 hours a day by dialing 2-1-1 from your home or cellular telephone. Please only call 911 for emergencies.

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