Oklahoma Besieged by Floods as Rains Drench Plains

The remnants of a Pacific hurricane spread out of Mexico on Thursday and dumped more rain on Oklahoma, where the flooding threatened to become the worst in state history, officials said.

“It looks to me like it’s going to be the worst flood ever,” said Norris Price, Oklahoma civil defense director. “There’s no relief in sight. With that hurricane down there you just don’t know what it’s going to do.”

About 25 inches of rain, or nearly as much as falls in a normal year, has fallen so far this week in parts of Oklahoma, meteorologist Ken Huckabee said.

Flooding in Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Montana that began last month has forced thousands of residents to leave their homes, caused an estimated $75 million in damage and been blamed for six deaths.

Officials have declared or plan to declare disaster areas in all six states.

Hurricane Paine hit the Pacific Coast of Mexico near the southern end of the Gulf of California Thursday morning with 105-m.p.h. winds. It diminished quickly as it moved to the northeast over the peaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico and sent a stream of moist air into the U.S. mainland.

Additional Rain Falls

As the remains of the hurricane moved into the Plains, it added additional rain to storms already drenching the region. Heavy rain fell from Texas into Missouri. Weatherford, Okla., received 2.45 inches in 25 minutes.

“With the flooding already there and the moisture moving in, that’s really going to make for a bad situation,” said Scott Tansey, National Weather Service meteorologist. “With five more inches of rain, it’s going to be pretty bleak.”

The rain triggered flooding in Chickasha and Tuttle, southwest of Oklahoma City, Price said. The high waters began to recede Thursday in some areas, allowing about 8,000 residents of Bixby, a suburb of Tulsa, to return home.

A tornado touched down in northwest Oklahoma City, damaging homes and businesses, but no injuries were reported. High winds in Lawton destroyed at least nine mobile homes and damaged several others overnight Wednesday. No injuries were reported.

Price said new reports of flooding were received every minute, with the latest coming from communities just southwest of Oklahoma City. “We’ve got some people (stranded) on a roof down there,” he said, adding that a helicopter was on its way to rescue them.

Coast Guard to Help

He said the land-locked state will be getting some help from the Coast Guard, which operates special units that help with flooding. “They called and offered their services and I’m going to take them up on it,” he said.

In Illinois, where damage was estimated at more than $30 million, nearly 16 inches of rain has fallen since Sept. 1 in the northeast, most of that since Sept. 22. Runoff from Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin has raised the level of Lake Michigan to a record 581.48 feet above sea level, the state Transportation Department reported.

“What we need is four or five sunny days to get out of the woods,” Gregg Durham, a spokesman for the Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, said Thursday.

Gov. James R. Thompson activated 226 National Guard troops to help patrol flooded areas.

In Michigan, rain had fallen for 23 straight days by Thursday, and was expected to continue through Saturday. At least 10 cities set rainfall records, and 26 counties have been declared disaster areas. Gov. James J. Blanchard announced the release of $1 million to aid flood-stricken farmers.

In Davenport, Iowa, 22 residents of a housing project for the elderly were evacuated because of rising Mississippi River waters.