Heavy Downpours Cause Busy Morning For OKCFD, Water-Logged Commute For Drivers

Oklahoma City firefighters rushed to rescue more than two dozen people trapped in muddy and troubled waters Tuesday morning.

The already oversaturated soil gave way to a water-logged commute.  Streets across the city quickly turned into rivers Tuesday morning and caused dozens of cars to stop in their tracks. One little girl told News 9 they headed to school when the water began to rise.

"My mom couldn't drive because all of the water," Amy, a young girl, said. 

That water rushed across Shields Boulevard near 50th Street when Amy, a second grader, her twin sister Dixie and their mother got caught in the cross stream.

"We saw all the water come from over there coming through there, and I thought we were floating,” Amy said. "My sister was scared of all the water. She was crying in the car a lot."

Firefighters wore and carried extra life jackets to make sure families get to dry land. 

Nearly 30 people found themselves in the same predicament on city streets and highways.

Lightning hit two buildings in the metro and rain that pooled on the roof of a business park building. The water became too heavy to support, causing the roof to partially collapse.

"It's just a large amount of rain,” Oklahoma City Fire Department Cpt. Scott Douglas said. “The guttering on the side of the building just didn't have ample enough time to drain.”

Flooded streets posed an obstacle for rescuers, as well.

"We did have to maneuver around a few vehicles that were stranded also," Douglas said.

The Catalina Motel was also damaged by downpours.

"We're the only business on here that gets affected,” motel owner Ruta Patel said. “Everybody else can wash up and move on. I can't. I have to be closed three to four months at a time. It's expensive. We have a water pump. We have drains.”

Patel said they even put sandbags in front of room doors to stop the water, but it does little to help. The motel has had to close four times in the last 22 years due to floodwater.

"I've lost so much business. It's so much work," Patel said. “It happens. It's mother nature. but still, it's hard."

There weren't any injuries from any of the water rescues. 

Two people were inside the business park building when the roof collapsed. They were able to make it out of the building on their own. They had minor injuries.