Rain wreaks havoc on area

By D. E. Smoot
Phoenix Staff Writer

March 19, 2008 12:33 am

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Heavy rains inundated a number of eastern Oklahoma roads and highways, causing problems for motorists and road crews alike.
Muskogee Public Works Director Mike Stewart said Shawnee Avenue was shut down Tuesday between 48th and 54th streets due to flooding. The drainage system, Stewart said, became clogged, and water eroded part of the road bed.
“We were afraid that part of the road may collapse, so we shut it down,” Stewart said. “That road probably will be closed for about a week while we make repairs.”
Road closures were widespread across eastern Oklahoma. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, several primary roads were closed Tuesday in Muskogee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties due to flooding.
The OHP reported Old Taft Road was closed between West 84th and 94th streets in Muskogee County due to high water. High water damaged a railroad crossing in Sequoyah County on a rural road near Central High. The road will be closed until the crossing is repaired.
Widespread flooding was reported in Wagoner County, where three state highways were closed, including Oklahoma 16 between Wagoner and Okay, Oklahoma 72 south of Coweta at South 191st East Avenue, and Oklahoma 104 between Haskell and Oklahoma 51B. The county road at Baker’s Restaurant was closed between U.S. 69 and Porter.
Several mobile homes just south of the Muskogee Fairgrounds were evacuated when they became surrounded by water, according to Eugene Blankenship, Muskogee County Emergency Management director.
City of Muskogee Emergency Management Director Jimmy Moore said road crews were out all morning posting roads where high water has been a problem.
A creek that flows through The Meadows subdivision in southeast Muskogee flooded roads early Tuesday, receded and were expected to be flooded again. A motorist also was stranded on South 24th Street when a vehicle stalled in standing water.
“We’re gong to see more problems as the day progresses,” Moore said. “Every bit of rain we get from here on out is going to be runoff because the ground is saturated.”
Tuesday afternoon, Stewart said street crews were busy monitoring and clearing catch basins to make sure problems like the one on Shawnee were prevented.
“It’s routine for this type of weather,” Stewart said.
With rainfall expected to continue through Tuesday night, officials said more flooding would be likely. Ed Fite, administrator of the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, said moderate to major flooding is likely throughout the Illinois River watershed.
The Illinois River is expected to crest at 7 a.m. today at 21.5 feet at Watts and at 17 feet at 4 a.m. Thursday at Tahlequah. Record crests at those two locations are 26 feet at Watts and 27.9 feet at Tahlequah.
The Barren Fork Creek was expected to crest at 19.9 feet Tuesday night at Eldon, where the record flood level is 26.8 feet. Fite said Flint Creek was expected to crest at 10.6 at Kansas, where the record floodstage is 19.4 feet.
With all that water around, emergency management officials cautioned motorists to be wary of standing water on roadways. Muskogee County Emergency Management Director Eugene Blankenship said motorists should avoid driving into water.
“Many times it’s hard to tell how deep that water is or what the road condition is beneath the water,” Blankenship said. “It’s dangerous, and people don’t need to be driving into that water.”

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