Situation Update 6

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

Situation Update 6

May 23, 2019 – 7:00 p.m.

As a result of flooding and severe weather 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, Civil Air Patrol, Oklahoma American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief and the Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

Governor Kevin Stitt today amended the State of Emergency to include all 77 counties due to flooding, severe storms, tornadoes, and straight-line winds 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.

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.

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

Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reports two fatalities attributed to flooding and severe weather.

• Female, 53, Payne County
• Male, 58, Stephens County

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.

State Dept of Health staff continues to support the Muskogee County, Wagoner County, and Choctaw Nation Emergency Operations Centers and Incident Management Teams.

The Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)continues to support the animal shelter in Tulsa. MRC volunteers are currently being scheduled through Sunday.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.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry reports that people with horses and cattle in need of assistance can call Dr. Rod Hall at (580) 257-0254 and Dr. Clayton Cook at (575) 405-9556. Anyone with facilities that can temporarily keep 10 or more horses from the evacuated areas are also asked to call Dr. Hall.

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 flood relief fund has been set up through the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Foundation for Oklahoma Cattlemen affected by the ongoing flooding across the state. One hundred percent of the donated funds will be distributed to the affected cattlemen. Donate at https://www.okcattlemen.org/flood-relief-fund.

Logan County Emergency Management reports damage assessments are underway. Several homes and businesses, as well as multiple bridges and roads, have been affected by flooding.

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 and Braggs areas and was just restored to Ft. Gibson. Pittsburg County Swift Water Rescue Team has been deployed to Muskogee County to assist with rescue operations.

Ponca City Emergency Management reports evacuations are ongoing due to flooding.

Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency is providing their latest updates at https://www.cityoftulsa.org/press-room/.

Wagoner County Emergency Management reports voluntary evacuations in Wagoner County for all low-lying areas near the Arkansas and Verdigris Rivers. Coal County Swift Water Rescue Team deployed to Wagoner County to assist in rescue operations.

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 atokvets.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 and Pittsburg County Emergency Management worked to secure the USS Batfish by pumping water into the ballasts in order to sink it enough to stabilize it.

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

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is on site at the Port of Muskogee to monitor barges that may come loose on the Arkansas River. They are also assisting with evacuations in Fort Gibson.

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:

• Wagoner County -Southbound US-69 is narrowed to one lane north of Muskogee at the Arkansas River but is anticipated to close completely. Drivers should use SH-51 or locate an alternate route now;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 near Coweta
• Beckham County - The I-40 southern service road (old Route 66) at MM19 is closed for extended repairs due to road damage from flooding
• 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
• Le Flore County - SH-9A is closed northeast of Spiro, west of Fort Smith, Ark.
• Logan County - SH-74F is closed between Cashion and SH-33 due to pavement damage
• 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 at Big Greenleaf Creek 3.5 miles south of Braggs; 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; 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 near Miami; 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 near Miami
• Sequoyah County - SH-64D is closed east of Roland, west of Fort Smith, Ark.
• Tulsa County - SH-51 is closed just west of SH-97 near Sand Springs
• 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.

Approximate meter count:

Bixby – 985

Sand Springs/Hwy 51 area – 427

Skiatook – 48

Turley – 27

Candlestick Park neighborhood (Sand Springs area) – 40

Sapulpa – 5

Salina – 3

Fort Gibson/Muskogee – 106

Indian Springs neighborhood (Broken Arrow) – 60

Garden City neighborhood (SW Tulsa) – 28

Owasso – 15

Cherry Hill trailer park (SW Tulsa) – 72

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission 1,080 power outages statewide.

OG&E – Total: 69

Gore: 69 

COOPERATIVES (by county)

Cimarron Electric Cooperative - TOTAL: 538

Canadian: 1

Garfield: 88

Kingfisher: 334

Major: 115

CKenergy Electric Cooperative - TOTAL: 209

Custer: 67

Dewey: 141

Roger Mills: 1

Northwestern Electric Cooperative - TOTAL: 72

Dewey: 70

Ellis: 1

Harper: 1

Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative - TOTAL: 61

Delaware: 19

Mayes: 38

Ottawa: 4

Verdigris Valley Electric Cooperative - TOTAL: 51

Tulsa: 51

Lake Region Electric Cooperative - TOTAL: 44

Cherokee: 8

Muskogee: 36

Kay Electric Cooperative - TOTAL: 36

Kay: 35

Noble: 1

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.

###