In Tulsa, decades of infrastructure investments shielded residents from the worst of the waters. It also left in its wake an estimated $3.4 billion in damages.Īs climate change research continues to paint an increasingly dire picture of the future of flooding, StateImpact and KOSU examined how different Oklahoma communities prepare for and react to severe flooding events. Graham, his wife and their six children were victims of the May 2019 flood, which resulted in record river flooding especially in northeast Oklahoma along the Arkansas River.
Anything that may have been salvageable was pilfered by looters roaming the destruction. Left behind were musical instruments, hunting and fishing gear, Graham’s military equipment, memorabilia from grandparents and years worth of memories. StateImpact Oklahoma At the Grahams' abandoned Sand Springs home, a waterline marks the peak of the flood waters’ rise.
