Oklahoma flooding

[bugo]

There is currently flooding ongoing in Oklahoma. The town of Webbers Falls near the junction of I-40 and the Muskogee Turnpike was evacuated because two barges on the Arkansas River broke away from their tethers and floated down the river uncontrolled towards a lock and dam a few miles above Webbers Falls. Authorities feared the dam would break when the barges hit it. If that were to collapse it would be catastrophic. The barges hit the dam earlier today but it didn't collapse. The barges capsized and sank right after they hit the dam. They are unsure if the dam suffered any structural damage when the barges hit it or not. What is it with barges in Webbers Falls?

There is also flooding in and around Tulsa. The Corps have opened the gates at Keystone Dam and the current flow rate is 250,000 cubic feet per second. They are talking about increasing it even more. There is expected to be flooding, especially in Bixby. The Arkansas River usually has little water in it but now it's roaring like the Cossatot. Some refineries in west Tulsa are flooded and parts of the Creek Nation casino grounds are underwater. The casino is closed until at least Sunday.

This is the worst flood in Tulsa since the 1986 flood. After the flood waters receded, the city decided to do something about it. They built an extensive flood control system that is one of the most modern flood control systems in the world and a model that is a model system that many cities have studied and emulated. One of the coolest features is parks that double as water retention ponds. Normally they are ordinary city parks but when there is flooding, water collects in these small basins.

Today (May 23, 2019) I walked across the Jenks Bridge between Jenks and Tulsa. The river was reslly up and it was flowing extremely fast and some low lying areas around the aquarium are already under water. I took a few pictures of the area around the bridge. I hope you enjoy them.

Now if Keystone Dam does its job and doesn't collapse...

[rte66man]

How much of Riverside Drive is underwater? What about The Gathering Place?

[kphoger]

A kid in Rose Hill (KS) was hit by a car today because he was playing in the flood water near/in a road.

When I was a kid, I loved playing in the flood water in the library parking lot, which was basically a big bowl with humps all around.  Cycling through with water up to the hubs.

Nine or ten years ago, we lived near the 3rd Street canal here in Wichita, which took the place of a street that used to flood and even wash cars away down the street.  When he had serious heavy rains one year, I went down to the canal and saw neighborhood kids floating down it on swimming pool rafts.  They would float down, then haul them out before crossing under Grove Street, then walk them back up a few blocks and do it again.  Great fun!

In other news, my basement is a marsh today.

[MikieTimT]

Roads started closing in the river valley of western Arkansas today as well as the deluge works downriver.  It's looking like a 500 year event is in store with water getting up higher than anyone alive will be able to recall.

[Bobby5280]

Thankfully the flooding situation here in SW OK is not nearly as serious as it is along and North of I-40. Edit: as I write this Lawton is currently under a Flash Flood Warning. We have a complex of thunderstorms that has been training over the same areas since late this afternoon and it doesn't look like it is letting up until well past midnight. Sadly a bunch of that rain is headed up ENE to areas already seeing horrible flooding problems.

On this day 4 years ago we had bad flooding down here in Lawton, due to relentless storms and over 20" of rain that month. But it sure busted the living hell out of the horrible long term drought we had been enduring prior to that. Folks in Wichita Falls had recycled sewage water put into the drinking water supply. The heavy rain made Cache Creek rise well above its banks and literally cut off the East and West sides of town from each other. I-44 was even closed for some time due to the water rising up over the roadway. Other areas in town were badly affected by flash flooding.

It's raining like hell down here currently. We've had some pretty good street flooding in some neighborhoods. The corner of Ferris & Parkview is underwater and dangerous. In a previous flood event a cab driver standing outside his car at that corner was swept off his feet, carried into the canal where he drowned. Lots of people are just staying at home trying not to get out and drive in this mess.

[rte66man]

Nice photo of the bridges for BNSF, I244, SW Blvd, and the old 11th St bridges just SW of downtown Tulsa.  I've never seen the Arkansas this high and I'm old enough to remember well before Keystone Dam was built.

https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/bridges-spanning-the-arkansas-river-doing-fine-officials-say/article_215cd032-70eb-53da-9dd7-11007e2cfc08.html

[robbones]

Wish I could have took some pictures of the flooding... US 64 between Roland and Fort Smith, AR was a lake... A couple of bridges on the EB lanes became impassable due to the soil washing out underneath... They're currently constructing crossover lanes so traffic can take US 64 East out of Roland to get to Fort Smith. Currently to access Fort Smith from the West, traffic has to go on I 40 East to Exit 330, SH 64D, follow the road in its entirety and take US 64 East into Fort Smith.

SM-S767VL