Broken Arrow Bracing For High Water

One of the hardest hit areas from Monday night's storm is Broken Arrow.  City crews are now getting ready for the next round.  News On 6 anchor Terry Hood reports the city is worried about more flooding.

Nearly two dozen roads or intersections were flooded Monday night in Broken Arrow.  The city hopes to avoid that this time around, but past fears over flooding have city crews on the lookout for trouble spots.

Underneath South Olive Avenue in Broken Arrow, city workers were ankle deep in water runoff on Wednesday.  They're carefully removing tree limbs and ice storm debris from a drainage ditch, preparing for another round from Mother Nature.

 "We've cleaned up most of it throughout the city, but there's still some lingering debris in some of the drains, so we want to make sure those are clear as the next storm comes our way." said Keith Sterling with the City of Broken Arrow.

The city is still recovering from Monday's drenching.  One of the biggest trouble spots is along Garnett Road, between 101st and 111th.   The two intersections are usually at the top of the list to get shut down because of flooding.

All the more reason to work on clearing drainage ditches, a city spokesman says.  The drainage ditch on Olive is actually quite a way away from homes.

But, Keith Sterling says, the water has to go somewhere and any blockage along the system can cause problems for those far away.

"A problem two or three miles away can cause a back-up down the way into some neighborhoods." says Keith Sterling with the City of Broken Arrow.

The city has a history of dealing with floodwaters.  Two years ago, subdivisions north of 41st Street had rain invade homes, resulting in thousands of dollars in damages.

Residents asked for help and the city re-built and enlarged the retention pond.  More work in the area is scheduled for later this summer.

"Any time we had some significant rains those were the first folks we were usually hearing from.  We didn't hear from them this time so that's good news." says Keith Sterling with the City of Broken Arrow.

The city will have crews on the lookout  for high water or potential flooding.  Sterling says they know it's an inconvenience, but they'll close any road or intersection before it gets dangerous.

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