TULSA, Okla. - Floodwaters poured into several eastern Oklahoma towns Saturday, killing a woman, filling homes and businesses and affecting hundreds of families in a four-county area.
''This is the worst flood we've had in over 30 years and I've been here a lot longer than that,'' said B.J. Pope, Creek County emergency management director.
Tulsa reported six inches of rain fell Friday and Saturday, closing several roads there, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported at least three state highways were closed by floodwaters, mudslides or washed-out bridges.
Emergency workers evacuated people from flooded homes in Kiefer, Sapulpa and several other towns. A mobile home park was swamped Saturday morning in Kiefer, where a creek topped its banks after the town received more than 8 inches of rain from Friday into Saturday. Pope said some roads still had 8 to 9 feet of water over them Saturday afternoon, and a nearby creek was still rising.
Marilyn Cory, 53, was killed after the car she was driving to work early Saturday was caught up in floodwater, Tulsa police said. Cory was found by rescue workers a few hours after her car got stuck.
About 100 families in Sapulpa might not be able to return to their houses Saturday night, said Tom Halowell, who was running a Red Cross station at a church.
Shelters also were set up in Coweta and Sand Springs, where about 126 people were affected by the floods, said Red Cross spokeswoman Jennifer Taylor. Other shelters would be set up as needed.
In Coweta, emergency workers used boats and jet skis to pull people from cars and homes, said assistant police chief Derrick Palmer.