A Video I made of the Arkansas River rising at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge yesterday morning.
I was at the fishing pier located near the Sandtown Nature Trail. Oklahoma has had some terrible storms for the past several days and it has caused lots of rivers to flood. I took this video soon after I arrived at the Refuge. I later saw where the Refuge closed the tour road do to the flooding.
I saw on the news where the town of Webbers Falls asked its citizens to evacuate. This town is not far from Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.
Here is the statement from the Refuge:
The Arkansas River is rising and beginning to affect the refuge. The road to the Stony Point Boat Ramp has been closed. We have been in communication with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about projected flows and waterlevels and we are using that information to help make management decisions for the refuge. What we know to this point is the river levels are rising fast and may create a safety hazard. With the safety of our visitors being a top priority, we will be closing the refuge at noon today. We will be using our Facebook to keep you up to date on what is going on with the refuge so keep an eye on our page. Please remember to respect roads and other areas that are covered in water and keep yourselves safe!
Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge Facebook Page
Flood Update From The Refuge
We’re starting to see more of the refuge and we’re learning what kind of damage was done. A lot of the gravel covering the road was washed away stripping the road to it’s shale base. The Stony Point Ramp and parking area took the full force of the flood waters. The water rushed over the top of the ramp and cut a hole in the parking area. The waters haven’t receded enough for us to know exactly how deep the hole is, but it appears to have dug out the shale base of the parking area. The floating courtesy dock has been washed inland about 300 yards and came to rest in the farm field. The fishing deck is still standing, but we’re unsure of the extent of damages it may have received.
Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge Facebook Page
The road to recovery may be a long process. We are committed to making repairs, and want users of the refuge to have facilities that serve them well. Please be patient with us through this process. We don’t want to rush into reopening areas without making sure they are usable and safe. Stony Point is one of those areas that may take a while for us to fix. Keep watching our Facebook for updates as we learn more about the damages.
Here is a link to some flood damage posted on Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge Facebook page: Damage Report