By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
Firefighters from Yukon helped rescue people from vehicles and homes near Banner Road and State Highway 66 Tuesday as a flood warning was issued by the National Weather Service.
Yukon had over 5 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, the Oklahoma Mesonet website reported Tuesday.
Yukon Capt. Dustin Noel said people were trapped in homes with high water surrounding them north of SH 66 along Purcell Creek.
“We are currently doing residential rescues. So houses are flooded or are flooding at this time,” Noel said about 9 a.m.
Yukon Fire Chief Shawn Vogt said the flooded area is in unincorporated Canadian County just west of Yukon city limits. Yukon firefighters respond to emergencies in the area. The same area was flooded in heavy rains in May, 2019 that resulted in damage to homes.
Vogt did not know how many homes sustained damage Tuesday. Water continued to rise during the morning.
Several people were rescued from vehicles that were stalled in high water on Banner Road. No injuries were reported, Vogt said.
Traffic will be affected Tuesday and possibly Wednesday with more rain in the forecast.
“The water will come up some more before it goes back down,” Vogt said.
SH 66 was closed east of Banner as rain continued to fall through the morning. On the north side of Yukon, heavy rains caused the North Canadian River to swell. A construction road bridge used for the State Highway 4 project washed out in the heavy rains.
Tuesday morning, the Mesonet reported 5.6 inches of rain for Yukon and 1.8 inches of rain for El Reno since Monday morning. El Reno also had about 900 power outages and Yukon had about 90 outages, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. reports. Yukon has had 24.6 inches of rain this year and 7.8 inches in July. Yukon has had 13.3 inches of rain in the last 90 days.
El Reno has had 18.5 inches of rain this year and 4.1 inches in July with 9.6 inches of rain in the last 90 days.
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