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TAEMA Operations Update – May 30, 11 a.m.

5/30/2019
This article was archived on 6/8/2019

As the Keystone Dam release rate is gradually decreased over the next several days, the levee system continues to be the primary focus. Water has saturated the levees and as release rates are stepped down, crews will work around the clock to ensure the levee system’s integrity. The levee system continues to be monitored 24/7. Residents living behind the levees and evacuees from behind the levees need to remain vigilant.

The flooding threat along the Arkansas River remains as the water is still out of its banks in certain areas. Listen to first responders in your area, monitor updates from TAEMA, and stay plugged into your local media.

Shelters and Reentry

Currently, the Red Cross is encouraging evacuees to its shelter at Faith Church, 1901 West 171st St. in Glenpool. The Red Cross shelter at Crosstown Church of Christ, 3400 E. Admiral Place, is nearly at capacity. Levee evacuation transportation routes have ended, and buses will be used in the coming days for resident reentry when evacuated neighborhoods are deemed safe.

In neighborhoods with receding floodwaters, inspections will be made before allowing residents back to their homes. During this period, law enforcement will continue to patrol those neighborhoods until residents have returned.

For animals, a temporary shelter at Tulsa Expo Square Fairground Pavilion (south entrance) is open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The temporary pet shelter at the Fairground is accepting pet food, blankets and towels. For large animal shelter requests, please contact 211. Animal rescue assistance requests can be made by calling Tulsa Animal Welfare at (918) 596-8000, press option 6, beginning at 9 a.m.

Residents in Tulsa County with questions or concerns related to the 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. As of yesterday, the 211 Center has taken more than 2,000 calls and continue to staff up to handle the additional load. 

PSO

PSO will be notified to restore power to areas that were disconnected when authorities deem neighborhoods safe. If you requested PSO to disconnect your service, call PSO to begin the reconnection process. If authorities requested your disconnection, an inspection may be necessary. If you have any questions about whether an inspection is necessary for your electrical system and weather heads, call PSO at (888) 218-3919. Beware of scammers that want to inspect your home and do not have any city identification, vehicles or other verification. To ensure the electrician you are hiring is licensed, visit cibverify.ok.gov/clients/okcib/public/licenseesearch/licenseesearch.aspx.

Barricade Safety

Police continue to urge people to not drive around barricades. These barricades are put up for the safety of everyone. River Parks remains closed. This area should be avoided, has unstable ground and any attempt to drive around barricades, especially in this area, is dangerous and puts your life and the lives of our first responders at risk.

Health Advisory

Residents are advised to stay away from floodwater and standing waters as they can be dangerous. Floodwaters can contain harmful debris, sewage and snakes. The Tulsa Health Department is offering tetanus shots at no cost at any of its immunization clinics during normal working hours. For hours and locations, call (918)-582-9355. You can also visit www.tulsa-health.org/flood-safety, which contains a multitude of resources, including information about our no-cost tetanus shots, floodwater precautions, tips for safely re-entering your home, and recommendations for food establishments.

Donations

Tulsa Community Foundation (TCF) and Tulsa Area United Way (TAUW) have established a Disaster Relief Fund for Eastern Oklahoma to provide assistance to nonprofit organizations which are providing services and support to residents of eastern Oklahoma affected by recent flooding and weather events. Donations can be made securely at www.TulsaCF.org/2019storms.

Donations by check should be made payable to Tulsa Community Foundation and include: “Disaster Relief Fund for Eastern Oklahoma” in the memo of the check. Mail checks to Tulsa Community Foundation, 7030 S. Yale Ave., Suite 600, Tulsa, Okla., 74136. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Road Closures

Flooding continues to impact roads in the Tulsa metro. For local road closures, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/rivermaps. For highway closure information, visit: www.okroads.org, with a complete list of closures at www.odot.org

Stay Updated

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.