UPDATE: At 4:41 a.m. the Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed that the barges were spotted on Spaniard Creek just northwest of Webbers Falls dam. Officials are evaluating situation.
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ORIGINAL STORY: Two barges on the Arkansas River at Port of Muskogee have gotten loose in rising floodwaters, the Muskogee County Sheriff has confirms.
Emergency personnel say the barges are headed toward the Webbers Falls Lock and Dam 16, which is a significant concern. Webbers Falls is under a mandatory evacuation as the city already is bracing for major flood damage.
The NWS tweeted that the Arkansas River at Muskogee has reached its second-highest level in recorded history.
The Arkansas River at Muskogee has reached its second highest level in recorded history this evening, surpassing the 1986 flood. #okwx #OKflood pic.twitter.com/mCHfKpHVCE
— NWSABRFC (@NWSABRFC) May 23, 2019
Around 10 p.m., officials said the barges were going downstream at 12 mph. About an hour later, they said they lost sight of them down river and are hoping they might be stuck and their progress impeded.
BARGE UPDATE: local first responders are telling me the Webbers Falls lockmaster says if these barges make it all the way here, they could realistically take out a couple gates apiece. The lock master and first responders are hoping for, and not expecting, a full breach. @KJRH2HD
— Chris DiMaria (@chris_DiMaria) May 23, 2019
Local first responders tell me they’ve lost sight of the barges somewhere upriver. They lost contact about a half hour ago. The suspicion is the barges are stuck on one of the bends upriver - the people with floodlights at the dam have stopped shining them on the water. @KJRH2HD
— Chris DiMaria (@chris_DiMaria) May 23, 2019
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has closed Interstate 40 in Muskogee County and the westbound and eastbound lanes at Mile Marker 297 near Vian in Sequoyah County are shut down because the barges are headed to that location.
For historical reference, the I-40 bridge in Webbers Falls was hit by a barge in May 2002, which killed 14 people when the bridge collapsed.
RELATED STORY: Town of Webbers Falls under evacuation
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