Situation Update 5

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

Situation Update 5

May 23, 2019 – 1:00 p.m.

As a result of severe weather and flooding impacts across the state, the State Emergency Operations Center remains activated. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) remains 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, Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services - Oklahoma Public Safety Broadband Network, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department State Parks Division, National Weather Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Oklahoma American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief and the Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management continues to ask residents impacted by the recent storms to report damages to their property at damage.ok.gov or by calling 211. 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.

Beaver County Emergency Management reports damaged homes and power outages after a tornado struck the area last night.

Lincoln County Emergency Management is assisting at the Wagoner County EOC.

Muskogee County Emergency Management reports a mandatory evacuation order is still in place for Webbers Falls. Parts of Ft. Gibson remain under a voluntary evacuation order. Water rescues are ongoing in the Bayou area of Muskogee County. Power is out in the Okay, Fort Gibson, and Braggs areas.

Ottawa County Emergency Management reports flooded schools in Wyandotte.

Stillwater Emergency Management reports damage assessments have been postponed due to the threat of incoming weather.

Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency reports close to 1,100 residents in the Tulsa area have been impacted from the flooding event due to evacuations. This includes residents in Tulsa County and the cities of Sand Springs and Jenks. The latest updates are available at https://www.cityoftulsa.org/press-room/.

Wagoner County Emergency Management reports voluntary evacuations in Wagoner County all low-lying areas near the Arkansas and Verdigris rivers.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, 83 injuries have been reported by area hospitals.

Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reports one fatality in Payne County is attributed to flooding.

American Red Cross reports the following shelters are open due to high water:

Crosstown Church of Christ, 3400 E. Admiral, Tulsa

First Christian Church, 2424 N. Main, Miami

Bacone College, 2299 Old Bacone Rd, Muskogee

Church on the Word, 1511 Culwell Rd, Warner

Roland High School, 300 Ranger Blvd, Roland

Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3700 Woodland Road, Bartlesville

Faith Church, 1901 W 171st, Glenpool

American Red Cross is also supporting families in Beaver County.

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is providing 150 meals at the Muskogee Emergency Operations Center.

The Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps is calling for certified animal response volunteers to care for displaced animals in Tulsa County. An Emergency Small Animal Shelter has been set up at the Expo Square Pavilion. The Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps is also coordinating with the American Red Cross to support shelter needs in Tulsa, Muskogee, Warner and Fort Gibson.

Okfuskee County Health Department staff provided tetanus shots to community members.

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management has staff deployed to the affected areas, including Tulsa, Muskogee, and Wagoner counties.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is working on the east side of the Arkansas River to support Muskogee County Emergency Management.

The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs reports that veterans that have been impacted by the recent weather may be eligible for a Financial Grant. Visit their website at okvets.ok.gov and click on the "get help" tab to find a service officer or location near you to assist. You can also call 918-781-7766 or 405-523-4000 to locate a service office or location near you.

Oklahoma National Guard is working to ensure the USS Batfish is secured as water levels rise. They were deployed to Muskogee County last night to build a berm around the Fort Gibson/Muskogee Water Plant.

Oklahoma State Department of Health staff have been deployed to support the Muskogee County EOC, the Cherokee Nation EOC, and the Wagoner County EOC.

Civil Air Patrol is facilitating an aerial damage assessment from I-40 to Keystone Dam at the request of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol delivered 20 rolls of tarps for impacted homes to Delaware County Emergency Management.

US Army Corp of Engineers is assisting Rogers County Emergency Management with 10,000 sand bags.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports 4,383 power outages statewide.

OG&E – Total: 3,352 (Fort Gibson)

PSO – Total: 881

Mayes: 816

Tulsa: 26

Delaware: 24

Scattered small outages in the following counties:

Comanche, Latimer, McCurtain, Rogers, Stephens, Wagoner, and Washington

COOPERATIVES (by county) 

Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative – TOTAL: 79

Delaware: 38

Mayes: 38

Ottawa: 3

Northwestern Electric Cooperative – TOTAL: 71

Beaver: 54

Ellis: 4

Harper: 12

Woodward: 1

Oklahoma Department of Transportation is discouraging travel in flood-impacted parts of the state this weekend.

The following highways are closed until further notice due to flooding:

• Beckham County - The I-40 southern service road (old Route 66) at MM19 is closed for extended repairs due to road damage
• Cherokee County - SH-80 is closed four miles west of Hulbert near Fort Gibson Lake; SH-80 is closed near the Canyon Rd. access area just north of Fort Gibson
• Cotton County - SH-5B is closed between SH-5A and US-70
• Delaware County - SH-127 is closed near Jay just west of US-59 due to a damaged drainage structure
• Johnston County - SH-48A is closed to through traffic between the SH-48 junction in Coleman and SH-7 in Milburn due to a damaged construction detour
• Kay County - US-77 is closed between SH-156 and southern Tonkawa
• Logan County - SH-74F is closed between Cashion and SH-33 due to pavement damage from flooding
• Love County - SH-77-Scenic is closed at Lake Murray Spillway
• Mayes County - SH-82 is closed at Grand River south of Langley
• Muskogee County - All lanes of I-40 and SH-100 are now OPEN over the Arkansas River near the Muskogee/Sequoyah County line. Drivers are urged to be alert to crews monitoring the river area and to use caution as traffic adjusts in these corridors. Travel is still discouraged in this area as flooding conditions continue to rapidly change; SH-10 is closed two miles east of the US-62 junction near Fort Gibson; US-62 is closed between SH-80 near Fort Gibson and SH-165 in Muskogee; SH-104 is closed at Coal Creek near Haskell
• Noble County - SH-156 is closed between Marland and US-60/US-177 in Kay County
• Nowata County - SH-10 is closed east of US-169 near Lenapah due to damage to a drain from flooding; SH-28 is closed between US-60 and US-169
• Ottawa County - SH-125 is closed one mile south of SH-10 in Miami; US-59/SH-10 is closed one mile west of US-69; SH-10 is closed between US-69 to one mile east of the SH-69A junction in Miami; SH-69A is closed 1.5 miles north of SH-10 near Miami; US-69 is closed between SH-125 and US-59/SH-10
• Tulsa County - SH-11 is OPEN from 76th St. North to 156th St. North., drivers should still use caution as crews remain the area; SH-51 is closed just west of SH-97 near Sand Springs
• Wagoner County - SH-16 is closed near the Muskogee Turnpike just north of Muskogee; SH-16 is closed northwest of Okay; SH-72 is closed from East 201st south to just north of the Arkansas River bridge
• Washington County - SH-123 is closed between Bartlesville and Dewey.

For official information about highway closures due to flooding, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation posts updates in the Traffic Advisory section of www.odot.org. An interactive map showing highway conditions and closures can be found at 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.

Do not send additional items unless specifically requested by a local community. 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.

A State of Emergency remains in effect for 66 Oklahoma counties due to severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that began in April. 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, Alfalfa, Atoka, Beckham, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Craig, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Garvin, Grady, Greer, Haskell, Hughes, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Logan, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Roger Mills, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tillman, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, Washita, and Woods.

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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