1986 Arkansas River Flood

[RecycleMichael]

The twenty year anniversary of the Arkansas River flood is coming up in three weeks. The actual event from when it started raining till the water went down covered almost a week, but the actual day the Dam released 310,000 cubic feet per second was October 4th, 1986.

I have vivid memories of standing on the I-44 bridge with the water rushing just below the bottom of the bridge.

I spent hours with sandbags along the east bank around 25th and Riverside.

It was chaos at first. Some reporter said that Brookside was going to be underwater and others said they had heard that there were cracks all through Keystone Dam. Neither proved true.

The next day, I went through Cherry Creek mobile home park by boat with some Red Cross folk looking for victims to rescue.

I also remember hundreds of city workers and civil defense folk working all night long.

Does anybody else have memories they can share?

[pmcalk]

I was away at college in 1986, but my parents kept me up to date about the flood.  Their house had both flooded and caught on fire in the 1984 flood, so they were very nervous.  They lived near Riverside, at a low point, and so had to evacuate.  According to my parents, the hysteria got a bit out of control prior to the flood--with warnings that there might even be flooding in Woodward Park (could you imagine that much water?).  Ultimately, they were very lucky--only water up to the door.  While the hysteria was a bit much to bear, at least residents had time to prepare, unlike 1984.

[Breadburner]

I helped a friend move alot of his belongings and furniture out of his house around 43rd and Madison.....We took most of his stuff to the Texaco that was located at 43rd and Peoria(Due north of Penningtons).....We put heavey ply-wood on top of the automotive lifts stacked his belongings on it and raised the lift up and left it there until the worst was over...A few of pitched in and helped him and man did him and his wife appreciate it...Although the chance of flooding in that area was slim he was not taking a chance....The worst of it would further north on Riverside and the 31st and Cinncinati area.....In the  Cinncinati area the river can get high enough to be above the level of the storm drain discharges and backflood through the neighborhoods....

[SXSW]

I was too young to remember this event but it must have been something to see the river that high.  I remember once in the early 90's sometime the river was unusually high, just below the pedestrian bridge.  Was the pedestrian bridge completely underwater during the '86 flood?  And the Cherry Creek mobile home park was underwater as well?  How much land on the west bank of Tulsa was underwater?

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by SXSW

I was too young to remember this event but it must have been something to see the river that high.  I remember once in the early 90's sometime the river was unusually high, just below the pedestrian bridge.  Was the pedestrian bridge completely underwater during the '86 flood?  And the Cherry Creek mobile home park was underwater as well?  How much land on the west bank of Tulsa was underwater?

I saw the water just under the 21st bridge from my bike at that time but was chased off by security. My life at that time centered around two little boys, my job and my house payments. Little time to spend around a flooding river. Believe me, people were stressed.

I've been on the river with a release of about 50,000cfs and that is thrilling enough. Hard to imagine over 300,000. The river is deceptive with these high flows. Not so much raging, boiling, swirling but more unstoppable and relentless. The debris causes a lot of damage.

[billintulsa]

Someone please refresh my memory - was this the flood that was called a "controlled flood?"

[Conan71]

A buddy of mine that lived near Bixby got the bright idea to get a closer look by boat.  He  got his canoe out and we went out and paddled  around on the sod farms down in the flats.  He wanted to get closer to the river, but I wasn't having any part of getting swept in the current down to Muskogee!  I remember creek channels in the middle of the farms being covered up by the floods.

Maybe the extent of the impending flood was "over-hyped" but I don't recall any deaths or serious injuries along Brookside or on the west banks- mainly due to people heeding the warnings.

[NellieBly]

Now imagine impeding those flood waters with a large dam across the Arkansas practically in the center of Tulsa. The flooding would be severe. Sunoco and the refineries would probably be underwater, causing an environmental and economic disaster.

[BixB]

I got a good dog out of that flood!  We lived in a 2nd floor unit at the Riverbend apartments near 81st & Riverside.  About the time the river reached its peak, a very wet and dirty cocker spaniel showed up.  Never knew where he came from and couldn't find an owner after the flood, so we ended up keeping him.

Helped our downstairs neighbors move their furniture up to our aparmtent as the river was rising, but thankfully it ultimately proved unnecessary.

Also went and helped fill sandbags with lots of other volunteers and some national guard guys in a parking lot over on Brookside.  

As I recall there was a big propane tank or something that had floated down the river and was smacked up against one of the bridges right below the deck, I-44 I think.

[alanoftulsa]

Me and my bud's just went fishing that day of the flood......[]

[Conan71]

Accomodations right at the top of the boat ramp!  Man you can't beat that! []

[cks511]

I was living and teaching in Bixby, spent 48 hours sandbagging along with the WHOLE poplulation of Bixby. The morning before I had tried to get all my swimmers home safely from an early AM swim practice.  I did but saw the river rising along 121st street.  It was scarey.  Later in the day saw the water hitting the bottom of the old yellow bridge as we were evacuating school buses.  At least I was the head swim coach and knew I could probably swim in just about any current.  Waded in waist deep water to get into the high school to make sure equipment was up high enough.  My only thought was the pissed off reptilia in the water.  Oh well.  Had to show ID and permit to get in and out of Bixby.  My first encounter with 'security'.  It was scarey.  

I have to commend all the teaching, administrative, and general staff of Bixby Public Schools during that time.  We really were a family.  It's a great school system.  Wish I would have never left.

I will never believe that the Arkansas River is fixed. I also lived through the floods of the 50's in which the area of 31st and Riverside and beyond was under water.  

You can tame her for awhile but she'll get you.

[john stevens]

I had recently purchased a home right off Riverside drive on 43rd.  One vivid memory is that of a tanker truck floating by in the river.  I believe that it jammed up against a bridge until someone was able to remove it.

The other thing that I remember well is the "flood siren".  I had no idea that such a thing existed, but it was VERY loud.  A voice over the speaker kept repeating to evacuate the area.  It was quite an experience!

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by cks511

I was living and teaching in Bixby, spent 48 hours sandbagging along with the WHOLE poplulation of Bixby. The morning before I had tried to get all my swimmers home safely from an early AM swim practice.  I did but saw the river rising along 121st street.  It was scarey.  Later in the day saw the water hitting the bottom of the old yellow bridge as we were evacuating school buses.  At least I was the head swim coach and knew I could probably swim in just about any current.  Waded in waist deep water to get into the high school to make sure equipment was up high enough.  My only thought was the pissed off reptilia in the water.  Oh well.  Had to show ID and permit to get in and out of Bixby.  My first encounter with 'security'.  It was scarey.  

I have to commend all the teaching, administrative, and general staff of Bixby Public Schools during that time.  We really were a family.  It's a great school system.  Wish I would have never left.

I will never believe that the Arkansas River is fixed. I also lived through the floods of the 50's in which the area of 31st and Riverside and beyond was under water.  

You can tame her for awhile but she'll get you.

Amen brother CKS. As long as there are humans building and operating systems, there will be human mistakes and the dam is no exception.

[Vision 2025]

quote:Originally posted by billintulsa

Someone please refresh my memory - was this the flood that was called a "controlled flood?"

Basically yes, it was a controlled release that caused downstream flooding.