Heavy Rains Force Residents To Evacuate

Saturday, June 23rd 2007, 8:45 pm

By: News On 6

Many places in Oklahoma spent the day underwater. Strong storms dumped up to six inches of rain on southern Okmulgee County, causing problems in Henryetta and Dewar. The News On 6â€™s Joshua Brakhage reports it didn't take long for Coal Creek to spill out of its banks and into a Henryetta neighborhood.

Residents did all they could to keep the floodwaters out of their homes. Many drove their cars to higher ground, boarded up doors and caulked around any openings. Neighbors shut off power to their houses and gathered outside while they waited for water to go down.

A few blocks away, the rushing water collapsed a neighborhood bridge. Emergency managers had to keep the road blocked, even after the water went down. Floodwater also swamped downtown Henryetta.

Charles Davis says you can see the water line on the front of his restaurant.

"It just started coming in,â€ Davis said. â€œIt started coming in from everywhere."

It's hard to miss the "wet floor" signs. Crews tried to clean up the mess quickly, but still couldn't open for business on time.

Meanwhile, the fire department asks homeowners near Coal Creek to evacuate as the water continues to rise.

This isn't the first time the neighborhood has flooded. The entire area was underwater in 1992. Neighbors say they knew they always had a chance they'd once again have lakefront property.

"We knew when we bought here that this was a flood plain,â€ said Marcus Whitworth. â€œWe knew this could happen, and we're not sorry about it because we love our home."

Emergency crews had to make four water rescues in Henryetta Saturday, all motorists who drove into standing water.

Watch the video: Flooding Causing Problems In Area Cities