State Of Emergency Declared In Muskogee County As Flooding Continues

A state of emergency is in effect in Muskogee County.

Muskogee County leaders say they are working hard to stay on top of the damage.

Most of the damage is in the central part of Muskogee County, ranging from Oktaha to Fort Gibson. Now, they are working to see which areas need help the most and where they can go from here. 

“We anticipated some rain near the amount that we are actually getting,” said Muskogee County Commissioner Ken Doke.

The relentless rain has Doke and his crews moving nonstop. They are trying to get a handle on how much damage the water caused.

“Our crews are trained,” said Doke. “You know when we get rain like this, we just disperse and do what we do.

High water swallowed a neighborhood in Summit leaving several roads impassable.

“If the barricade is there, it's to mark something dangerous, so please make good choices,” Doke pleaded. “Don't drive around our barricades or drive into high water.” 

Muskogee County officials are working to make temporary repairs to county roadways, but the rain Monday set their efforts back.

“Now, we are just trying to survive these rounds of rains hoping that it won't undo work that we've already done,” said Doke.

Doke says each of the districts in Muskogee County has nearly 500 miles of roadway, so they are working to assess the damage but haven't been everywhere yet.

“Please, be patient with us,” he said. “We've had a lot of damage, so it's going to take some time to put it all back together.”

Doke says they will probably be working on the repairs for the next several weeks, so again, he asks please be patient with them throughout this process.