Army Corps Of Engineers Tasked With Containing, Directing OK Flood Waters

Flooding in northeastern Oklahoma is breaking records, and the Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa office has the task of containing and directing all the water.

Parts of the Arkansas River and Keystone Lake look high and dry compared to areas with more rainfall, like Fort Gibson Lake; but the solution isn't as simple as just sending water downstream.

It's the wettest year in Oklahoma history; the holiday storm has created historic flooding along the Illinois River in Tahlequah.

The Fort Gibson Lake Dam is also breaking records, releasing 175,000 cubic feet per second.

Kent Dunlap, with the Tulsa Army Corps of Engineers, said the Grand-Neosho River Basin has gotten and is holding the most water.

Every second, 325,000 cubic feet of water is being released from the Kerr Dam on Lake Hudson. The Pensacola Dam, on Grand Lake, is 97 percent full, despite opening the floodgates, forcing evacuations.

Flood victim, Regnda Crippen said, "I don't know, it's sad we weren't really able to get everything out that I would like to have gotten; just hoping that it stays on its foundation."

Dunlap said releasing water from the Kerr and Pensacola dams is necessary to minimize harm. He said there's no way to strategically plan for a storm like this.

The Corps can't release water before a storm because it can't predict where rain will fall. Instead, the Corps measures, reacts and surveys.

"We'll have people walking up and down those dams 24 hours and we're looking at things and we're documenting that. We're doing all that so we can make good decisions in terms of what we are going to do," Dunlap said.

Those decisions can cost or save Oklahomans’ homes and lives.

The Pensacola, Kerr and Fort Gibson Lake dams are among those on 24-hour surveillance. Others require less surveillance - eight hours or less.