Wednesday's Storms Leaves More Than A Dozen Muskogee Homes Flooded

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

MUSKOGEE, OK – Wednesday night's severe thunderstorms did not down many trees, but heavy rains caused flooding in as many as 20 homes in Muskogee.

The water had receded, but evidence of heavy flooding was still visible everywhere in one Muskogee neighborhood.

"Sewer water, mud," said Stanley Clark,flooding victim. "You name it, a little bit of everything."

Flash flooding sent Sand Creek over its banks, and the water quickly spilled into nearby homes. It left behind soaked furniture, ruined floorboards, flooded vehicles, and even mud-covered family pets

"My wife got me up a little after midnight, and said it's coming through the door," said Harold Cox. "So we scrambled to put stuff off."

Unfortunately, flooding has become a way of life in 'The Meadows' Housing Addition.

The problem starts with the creek. Neighbors say they were originally told it was part of a 100 year flood plain, but in fact it's ended up flooding about every four years."

Residents say this is the second time in the past year water has gotten in their homes, and the frequent flooding makes it impossible to sell their places.

"It's hard to sell a house that floods every four years," Cox said. "So we're kind of stuck."

So they have no choice but to clean up and hope the neighborhood avoids any more rounds of severe weather.

"It gets old every time," said Lori Carman. "The older I get, the harder it is to do the work."

"Clean up, fix it back up and wait for the next time," Cox said.

Muskogee Emergency Management says a total of ten homes in the Meadows Housing Addition were flooded, and ten more were damaged in other parts of the city.

5/19/2010 Related Story: Wednesday's Heavy Rains Flood Many Tulsa Area Streets