Stay Out Of Arkansas Flood Waters, City Of Tulsa Says

The City of Tulsa gave an update Friday morning on the flooding that's threatening communities all along the Arkansas River.

Friday, May 24th 2019, 3:08 pm

By: Erick Payne

The City of Tulsa gave an update Friday morning on the flooding that's threatening communities all along the Arkansas River. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and other officials addressed the river levels.

It's not expected to rise from the dam release, but we're not in the clear just yet because of potential rain.

Mayor Bynum and Senator James Lankford toured the flooding from the air Friday morning and say the Keystone Dam and Arkansas River levee system is working just as it should.

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It's a sigh of relief for them because the mayor says the levees haven't really been fully tested in decades.

It's why they're carefully monitoring all of them. That helped them catch a leak at a private dam near the Garden City neighborhood.

Mayor Bynum says Crossland Construction just built a new levee behind the old one Thursday night. That old one is now underwater.

About 1,100 people living in Tulsa are feeling the impact of the flood and evacuated. The mayor had sharp words for anyone getting into floodwaters when they should stay out.

"What I've heard I would say the most disturbing thing, in the last 24 hours from first responders are reports of parents letting their kids play in the river or the river parks, or trails submerged in water. Kids that are waist deep in this water. If you're a parent who's letting your kid play in the river you should be ashamed of yourself," said Bynum.

The mayor says getting into floodwaters puts first responders at risk too, so it's best to just avoid it altogether.

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It's a sigh of relief for them because the mayor says the levees haven't really been fully tested in decades.

It's why they're carefully monitoring all of them. That helped them catch a leak at a private dam near the Garden City neighborhood.

Mayor Bynum says Crossland Construction just built a new levee behind the old one Thursday night. That old one is now underwater.

About 1,100 people living in Tulsa are feeling the impact of the flood and evacuated. The mayor had sharp words for anyone getting into floodwaters when they should stay out.

\"What I've heard I would say the most disturbing thing, in the last 24 hours from first responders are reports of parents letting their kids play in the river or the river parks, or trails submerged in water. Kids that are waist deep in this water. If you're a parent who's letting your kid play in the river you should be ashamed of yourself,\" said Bynum.

The mayor says getting into floodwaters puts first responders at risk too, so it's best to just avoid it altogether.

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