OK Researchers Asking For Personal Stories Of 1984 Flood

<p>There's a new effort to save artifacts from Tulsa's 1984 flood, and it's not just for academic reasons, researchers hope it's a reminder of the continuing risk.</p>

Thursday, December 1st 2016, 10:33 pm

By: Emory Bryan

OK Researchers Asking For Personal Stories Of 1984 Flood

There's a new effort to save artifacts from Tulsa's 1984 flood, and it's not just for academic reasons, researchers hope it's a reminder of the continuing risk.

The archives at OU already have thousands of pieces of information about the flood - some of it available for viewing here at the library - but they're hoping to fill out the story through people who remember.

The Carl Albert Center at the University of Oklahoma already has a lot of information about the flood, but most come from the government - congress, and the city.

Now, they hope to find personal stories to build a comprehensive and online archive of a story that's fading away.

"People forget, people pass on, and this is an opportunity to bring those personal aspects to the story and preserve them long term," said Nathan Gerth with the OU Carl Albert Center.

Dr. Gerth and his colleagues believe the Mingo Creek Flood was transformational for Tulsa.

The toll - 14 people dead and $80 million-plus in damage - led to an urgent $500 million flood control project that continues to this day.

Right now, 2,000 homes remain in the flood plain.

Bill Robison is a floodplain manager with the City of Tulsa, and in 1984 he was a flood victim.

"I had a mobile home, I had five feet of water in my home when I got home. Fortunately, I was out of town when it happened. But I came home to find my wife’s car under the mobile home," Robison said.

His story is now part of the archive, and his passion is making sure people are ready when flooding comes again.

"People have just forgotten, we do have a flood risk," he said.

Robison said while Mingo Creek is no longer at risk for this kind of flooding, thousands of homes are in a flood plain. He's hoping that preserving the story will remind people to get ready.

You can find more of the online archives here. And, if you'd like to tell your story, you can contact Dr. Gerth at ngerth@ou.edu or call 405-325-5835.