USGS Monitoring Green Country River Levels

In Tahlequah, the effects of flooding will be felt long after the water drops.

At the River Cane Resort, on the banks of the Illinois River, leaves, grass and dirt mark where the height of the water peaked during the storm.

The flooding broke a 65-year-old record and caused damage to every building on the property.

Nic Heidinger owns the resort and tried to make preparations for the storm, but, in the end, all he could do was watch and let it run its course.

“I was looking at the rainfall they were projecting and I thought, ‘This is gonna be bad, bad,’” he said.

And when the storm some are calling Goliath came down with a wave of water, there was no David to tame it.

“We had about ten RVs that were rented from us. We had to make sure everyone got out before the high water came because it came really, really fast,” Heidinger said.

Renter Monica Moreno said considering all the damage around her, she’s lucky she saved her RV.

“It could have been worse, it could have been worse than it was,” she said.

And, although the water is going down, the river is still rushing out of its banks, and the United States Geological Survey is keeping watch.

Tuesday, experts like Scott Strong with the USGS spent the afternoon checking river levels.

“It's gone down substantially. I'm sure the locals are very pleased at that. I know it was quite a flood," said Strong.

Crews are out monitoring the levels at rivers across Green Country; at the peak, the Illinois River reached 31 feet, it's now down to 20.

12/28/2015 Related Story: Illinois River Crests At All Gages, Scenic Rivers Commission Says

Strong said, "This is definitely one for the books. This is one of the most widespread heavy rainfall events I have seen."

In the past few hours, the owner of River Cane Resort has roped off the area closest to the river.

The USGS said they'll continue to check the water levels over the next few weeks.