May 18, 2013

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Reporter: Sara Humphrey Email

Turner Falls Park to remain closed

DAVIS, OK - Authorities said Turner Falls will remain closed until further notice. Nearly four hundred people were evacuated Sunday due to flash flooding.

Families who planned to spend the Easter weekend with nature got a little more than they bargained for Sunday morning when heavy rain forced campers to evacuate from Turner Falls near Davis.

"Friday camping and then Sunday morning it just started raining real hard and we had to evacuate," camper Jose Garcia.

"It was pretty bad up there where people were camping because everything was scattered," Mayia Garcia said. "Cause of the water and stuff floating down the river."

"About 10 o' clock a.m. we started getting reports that we had some people stranded on the other side of the creek," Davis Police Chief Dan Cooper said. "We activated the fire department the police department and all the other employees needed and at point we started evacuating the park to the Murray County Expo Center."

Authorities said nearly four hundred people were taken to the shelter by bus, only campers in cabins and shelters were allowed to stay overnight at the park.

"A lot of people don't understand what the creek looks like when it floods," Turner Falls Park Manager Tom Graham said. "A lot of times they think we are over reacting."

Graham said many evacuated campers had family members in the Dallas and Oklahoma City areas already en route to pick them up.

"I think the total count was seventy-five people that stayed over night," Chief Cooper said.

This morning campers were bused back to Turner Falls to collect their belongings.

"Once the water levels gets down further we will have to run through and the maintenance crew will have to clean up all the debris that was left then depending on the forecast is to when we are going to reopen," Graham said. "We have chances of rain everyday this week."

Authorities said the evacuation ran smoothly with no injuries.

"We are all safe," Garcia said. "Good thing and we are just glad to go home."


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