Tulsa County flooding: Friday update

Photo Courtesy: Tulsa Police Department (TULSA, Okla.) The Army Corps of Engineers continues to release 250,000 cubic feet of water per second from Keystone Dam into the Arkansas River and this level is expected to hold steady through Sunday, May 26. As of Friday morning, close to 1,100 Tulsa residents have been impacted from the flooding event due to evacuations based on rising flooding levels. In Sand Springs, close to 400 are impacted, Tulsa County - 320 and in Jenks - 15. In neighborhoods west of the Arkansas River, self-evacuations and two neighborhoods were evacuated. PSO is working with affected areas on any disconnections. City of Tulsa employees have been working around the clock by filling 500-700 sand bags per hour for the Mabee Center public location. We ask residents in need of sand bags to please be patient as employees are working to keep up with demand. The sand bags being provided at the two locations below are at NO COST to residents across the metro. It’s being reported that some citizens are taking the free sand bags and attempting to resell them. If you see this happening, contact your local authority. The sand bags are free to residents who need them. Current sand bag locations in the Tulsa metro are: Tulsa – Oral Roberts University Mabee Center parking lot, 7777 S. Lewis Ave. Jenks – Jenks Softball Field, 1701 N. Birch St. For the Jenks location, bags are available to fill, but the public is responsible to bring their own shovel(s). This service is open today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The weekend hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.  It is highly recommended that all people who live near the Arkansas River pay attention to local officials and news coverage, listen to weather radios, be observant of local weather apps, and seek higher ground if necessary. All residents should stay out of the water, adhere to traffic diversions, and maintain a close watch on children. The Tulsa Police Department has already had to remove people from the areas along the Arkansas River, especially near Tulsa River Parks and the River Parks Trail. Road and Location Closures There are several road closures throughout the Tulsa metro: * 1100 S. 61st  W. Ave closed * 37 W. Guthrie Ave closed * S Indian Rd. closed  * 4200 S. Riverside open * 3900 S. Riverside open * 1300 S Riverside closed * 1200 S. 49th W. Ave.  open * 3700-4100 S. Elwood closed * 3300-5100 S. Elwood closed * 8800 N. Mohawk Blvd. closed * Aquarium Place, 196th St. Bridge * River Parks along Riverside Dr. is closed and no electricity is available along River Parks. * Segment of Oklahoma State Highway 51 at 137th W. Ave. east towards Hwy 97 Use caution when approaching barricades and do not drive around them. The barricades are used to close areas of the road that present hazards from water overtopping the surface. Cars may be swept away in just two inches of water. Turn around. Don’t Drown. Shelters and Donations Two evacuation shelters are in place - the first is at Crosstown Church of Christ, 3400 E. Admiral Place and there is an additional shelter at Faith Church, 1901 West 171st St. in Glenpool. ADA service animals can be taken to the Crosstown shelter location. All other pets can go to the temporary shelter at Tulsa Expo Square Fairground Pavilion (south entrance) from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. The temporary pet shelter at the Fairground is accepting pet food, blankets and towels. Friday morning, Tulsa Animal Welfare (TAW) employees, volunteers, the Humane Society of Tulsa and Tulsa SPCA worked together to load 100 animals from the TAW shelter to move them to Idaho for adoption. The transfer of these animals makes room at the shelter to take in another 100 stray animals that are displaced as a result of flooding in the Tulsa area over the next few days. TAW staff will work to re-unite the animals with owners or find new homes for them. The transportation is the result of a donation. Residents in Tulsa County with questions or concerns related to this flooding event or evacuations can call 211, 211 is also equipped to take damage assessments and answer questions about donations to those affected by the floods. Education and Safety  * Prepare immediately for evacuations. * If you leave your home, take all electric precautions by switching off the main breaker to electricity and disconnect any emergency power system, like generators.  * Have a packed bag with prescriptions and clothing for a multiple-day period * Charge your cell phones and place them in low-power mode, put valuables in a higher place, bring your pets with you * Leave your home with important identification for you and any members of your family and take videos/pictures of your home for insurance purposes  * If you are an evacuee or someone you know is evacuated and requires home health care and/or in-home hospice care, you need to let your health care agency know where you are sheltering so you can continue to receive services. * It is important to have a two-week supply of prescription medication on hand and ready if/when you evacuated. In addition, have copies of all prescription medication with dosage, prescribing doctor, and pharmacy. This includes mental health medications. Communicate this message with those in your life who may need assistance with this.  * Communicate with members of your family who need to take these precautions but have physical limitations that may prevent them from doing so. * For safety’s sake, assume that any downed utility line is energized with deadly electric current.  Stay away from the line and do not touch it with anything.  Report it to PSO at 1-888-218-3919. Stay Updated on the Flooding Event Follow the City of Tulsa on Twitter @cityoftulsagov and visit www.cityoftulsa.org for updates. Live feeds from news conferences are available on the City of Tulsa Gov Facebook. The City of Tulsa website has a Google translator that can translate all web pages in more than 121 languages. The City of Tulsa is also adding translations of this briefing in various languages to the City’s Facebook page when available. All maps for the flooding event can be found at: www.cityoftulsa.org/rivermaps