MUSKOGEE COUNTY, Okla. — It's been four years since the historic - and devastating - flood hit communities in Muskogee and Tulsa counties. Some of the hardest hit areas were in Muskogee County, where residents still see the effects.
The Arkansas River was the culprit in all of it. People had to evacuate, emergency response centers distributed food to communities, and some communities lost homes and businesses. It was a challenging time, but Muskogee County officials tell 2 News that flood needed to happen to be better prepared for the future.
For Julia Pittinger of Muskogee County, late May 2019 was a bizarre time.
- Previous coverage>>> Watch: Update on flooding in Muskogee County
"We've seen a lot of strange things out here but never water this high where we had to make alternative routes to get out," she told 2 News at the time.
Pittinger was one of the lucky ones who could find alternative routes. Due to flooded roads, Braggs and Webbers Falls couldn't get out of their water-logged communities.
Still, to this day, some residents don't have the funds to repair or rebuild their homes after the flood damaged them.
Muskogee County Commissioner Ken Doke says some residents are finally seeing relief from the federal government. $50 million was received to repair parts of the Port of Muskogee, and $10 million is going toward raising the elevation of Okay Road, which connects the communities of Fort Gibson and Okay.
"Building things back to make them more resilient is important," Doke said. "The last thing we need is loose barges running downriver and hitting the dam."
He says what's been most helpful is the new inundation application created to show different river levels. It can predict what roads are close to underwater, where evacuations should happen, and more. Before that, Doke says crews looked at elevation maps manually and used their best judgment.
"It was a very time-consuming and tedious process to determine where all the water was coming in and who was going to be at risk," Doke said.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
