To develop a state flood plan, Oklahoma officials seek better understanding of community flooding hazards

In 2019, a bevy of extreme thunderstorms hit the Tulsa space and waters rose in Keystone Lake. The Military Corps of Engineers needed to launch water from the Keystone Dam, overwhelming the banks of the Arkansas River. The ensuing floods value town of Tulsa $12.3 million in repairs, in accordance with reporting from the Tulsa World. That doesn’t embrace injury to properties and companies.

The next 12 months, the state legislature handed a invoice that duties the Oklahoma Water Sources Board with creating an official Oklahoma Flood Plan. OWRB should develop a listing of tasks that may shield communities from flooding. The invoice additionally mentions the creation of a devoted fund for these tasks, however no funding has been put aside.

Aaron Milligan is engaged on the flood plan on the OWRB. He stated the board will carry out cost-benefit analyses for the tasks.

“So we might go to the legislature and say, ‘For those who give us X variety of {dollars}, these are these flood mitigation tasks we will do,’” Milligan stated.

Milligan defined that many smaller communities have hassle securing funding for essential flood mitigation tasks.

“We simply we noticed quite a lot of areas that wanted a venture—you recognize, a bulldozer dump truck venture—that may eradicate flooding, or cut back flooding,” Milligan stated. “But it surely wasn’t getting finished.”

The flood plan will present a framework for communities to hunt funding via the state, via the Federal Emergency Administration Company and thru particular funding alternatives. However to design an efficient plan, the OWRB must be taught as a lot as it could actually about funding wants throughout the state.

“If we had each neighborhood within the state contact us and provides us data, that may be an ideal world,” Milligan stated.

Metropolis, county and tribal governments can submit a brief survey about flooding of their communities. Milligan stated participation has been good, however they hope to listen to from extra communities earlier than the survey closes this Friday, September thirtieth.

Milligan stated the Oklahoma Flood Plan must be prepared for approval someday subsequent summer time.