Weekend Flooding Forces Families Out Of Their Homes

Monday, September 10th 2007, 3:55 pm

By: News On 6

Oklahomans are wringing out after another round of flooding. On Saturday, more than seven inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period in the Tulsa area. All that water is causing major problems for a Tulsa apartment complex. On Monday crews were cleaning up after several families were washed out of their homes early Saturday morning. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports residents don't blame Mother Nature, they say the flooding was a man made problem.

At 9th and Sheridan huge dryers echo throughout the near empty Melrose Apartment complex, where floodwaters made their way into first floor apartment units. Apartment manager and resident Cheri Lewis says when the rain started coming down she could barely believe her eyes.

"All I could say was oh my gosh! What is going on here?â€ she said.

Residents waded in water up to their knees, early Saturday morning. Lewis said within an hour the water went from washing out 9th street to rushing into apartments.

"When I came out the water was up to my kneecaps and I immediately began banging on doors to make sure all of my downstairs residents were awake,â€ said Melrose Apartment Manager and resident Cheri Lewis.

Cheri Lewis says she collected three dumpsters worth of debris from a nearby drainage ditch. She says it got clogged and that's why the apartment complex got so much water, so fast. All that water has definitely left its mark. Ceilings are peeling, walls are rippling, and dirt and debris is everywhere.

"We have blowers in all the units trying to blow the carpets dry,â€ Lewis said. â€œThe walls are starting to buckle, the dry wall, because it couldnâ€™t sustain the water.â€

Four families were displaced. The Red Cross is helping out, putting them in hotels. Lewis and her staff worked to move furniture out of the water, but she says moving on won't be easy.

"Oh itâ€™s going to take quite a while. A lot of there stuff is already moldy, mildew,â€ Lewis said.

The apartment manager say she hopes the displaced families can return to new apartments by Tuesday.

Watch the video: Apartment Complex Floods Leaving Residents Homeless

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