Runoff Floods Homes, Roads All Around Vinita

Emory Bryan, News On 6

VINITA, Oklahoma -- The rain from Monday continues to cause problems up in Craig County. The runoff has flooded homes and roads all around Vinita.

There's a neighborhood on the southwest side of Vinita where the water is too deep for people to get back into their homes.

The water starting rising late Monday and now it's a foot deep inside houses.

"A wreck, destroyed, no possible way of fixing it," said Vinita resident Alyssa.

The heavy rain created a slow moving disaster all around Vinita. First it was flooding on the north side of town, now it's on the south and west but it is receding.

At times over the last two days, water has been all around Vinita. Now it's flowing high through Little Cabin Creek, enough to close a section of Highway 60 which is underwater near the turnpike.

A new bridge is near completion - and it's just 16 inches above the flood water. This runoff drains 125 square miles of mostly pasture land upstream - and now it's flooded a huge area downstream.

Roy Ramsey says it's not uncommon for the bottomland to flood - but high water like this is rare.

"My rain gauge is 5 inches and I've emptied it twice, and I've got this much left in it from yesterday and the day before," Ramsey said.

The flooding was worse because the ground was already saturated and still is - so any more rain will only cause more problems.