Tulsa city officials are preparing for the worst after the Army Corps of Engineers announced it will increase the rate of water at the Keystone Dam to 250,000 cubic feet per second.
Authorities say this will have a major impact on areas of Tulsa County and residents need to prepare to evacuate.
If you live along the Arkansas River and are in a 100-year-floodplain, prepare to get out now. We’ve already seen those impacts as the water along the river rises and its only going to get worse.
Heed these warnings and pack up, the city says it is not worth your life.
At around noon Thursday, expect the Keystone Dam to release those 250,000 CFS, which will be happening until Sunday.
Sand Springs and the western part of Tulsa County will see the first impacts. That's about two hours from now, and central Tulsa will see impacts in about four to six hours.
South Tulsa will see impacts in eight to 10 hours.
City officials say they do have several concerns, one of those is the levees.
Right now they’re doing what they’re supposed to, but the longer this massive amount of water continues to sit at these levees, the more likely they are to fail. That's why residents should not take any chances and should evacuate their homes.
Riverside, River Parks and south Tulsa neighborhoods and businesses are an area of concern.
If you don't know if you’re in a floodplain, click here for more information.
“Take precautions to save your life. If you see water, you need to get ready to go,” said Joe Kralicek, with Tulsa Emergency Management.
PSO will also be cutting power to Meadow Valley and Town and Country.
Be aware of flood sirens today, they’ll be going off at 3 p.m. every 30 minutes for six hours.
Officials are also urging residents to not stop and gawk at the river as it continues to rise, you are putting yourself and others in harms way.
Remember, this water increase will take time. You may not be seeing the effects right now.
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