Water rescues aided the Southern Plains Tuesday morning as heavy rains continued. The rain closed numerous roads and flooded citizens’ homes and businesses. More than 20 tornadoes have been reported between Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Missouri — some forcing the Tulsa airport to cancel about a dozen flights.
Relentless storms are still hitting these flooded areas. The storms have initiated a flash flood emergency for several communities in northeast Oklahoma. Because of significant flooding at Six-Mile Creek, Interstate 40 west of Oklahoma City had been closed for several hours.
Residents of Stillwater, Oklahoma also had to be rescued from their homes when flash flooding hit. The floods caused streets to be impassable and shut down a handful of schools in the immediate area. The Stillwater Emergency Management Agency director stated that they’ve run out of barricades. He also suggested, with water still falling, for everyone to just stay home.
As for Missouri, the National Weather Service reported three cars that were swept off the road due to flooding in Joplin. Several roads in Missouri, as well as Kansas, have been shut down.
Also Tuesday morning, 31,000 homes were without electricity in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, according to poweroutage.us. Tornado reports are still popping up around the Midwest frequently as the week goes on.
