Tulsa Stays Afloat with Flood Precautions

Fourteen inches of rain fell in Tulsa, Okla., on Memorial Day in 1984. The resulting flash flood killed 14 people and did more than $300 million in damage to businesses and homes in the city’s east-side Mingo Creek area.

A total of nine federal disaster declarations for that area were issued over the following decade. Susan Savage, the city’s mayor, said Tulsa finally decided to take action.

The city, roughly the same size as Northwest Arkansas with a population of 380,000, is now the most proactive participant in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System. For its flood prevention efforts, which include a $3.60 monthly storm water management fee, Tulsa is the first city to achieve FEMA’s Class 3 CRS rating. That entitles its citizens to a 25 percent discount on flood insurance rates.

Bentonville is the only city in Northwest Arkansas that’s listed as a CRS participant by FEMA. It’s Class 9 CRS rating gives its citizens a 5 percent flood coverage break.

Darren Warren, Bentonville’s city planner, said among the steps taken there are an outreach program for realtors and banks, stricter construction requirements, digital flood maps and a library of flood prevention materials that’s open to the public.

Savage said one of the best measures taken by Tulsa was buying up structures in severe flood plains and turning the area into a city park.