Local
Kingfisher County crews rescue three as torrential rain washes out roads
Up to 10 inches of rain sent floodwater across Kingfisher County on Wednesday, sweeping vehicles off roads and prompting multiple rescues. Officials say damaged roads and bridges could take weeks to repair and warn drivers to avoid flooded routes.
KINGFISHER, Okla. — Heavy rain flooded roads and low-lying areas across Oklahoma on Wednesday, triggering multiple water rescues in and around Kingfisher County, where some areas received as much as 9 to 10 inches of rain.
County Emergency Manager Randy Poindexter said rainfall on the county’s south end, near Okarche, poured toward Kingfisher, while 4.5 to 6 inches west of the Gyp Hills flowed toward Kingfisher Creek.
Around 9:35 p.m., two people, ages 19 and 21, were driving south on 2810 Road when their car entered water estimated at about six feet deep. The vehicle floated nearly 100 yards from a bridge, and the occupants climbed out and held onto a tree while awaiting help for more than 20 minutes. Kingfisher Swiftwater Fire Rescue used a boat to reach them.
Earlier Wednesday, a US Foods truck was swept off a roadway west of Kingfisher. Loyal and Omega fire crews and a county boat rescued the driver, Poindexter said. No deaths were reported in the county’s flooding incidents.
As the water receded, officials found washed-out roads and bridges, missing pavement and culverts damaged by floodwaters. Poindexter said crews would begin repairs where possible, but some roads may not be ready for traffic for a couple of weeks because of the damage and saturated ground.
He urged residents not to drive through floodwater, which can conceal hazards beneath the surface and put motorists and rescuers at risk. “It’s not worth it,” he said.