How terrible for these families!
Thanks to Liz Marshall and Kat5 for barking in this article from KOTV.com.
Pet Rescue Launched In Flooded Coffeyville
KOTV – 7/3/2007 5:00 PM – Updated 7/3/2007 10:26 PM
More than 200 homes are underwater in Coffeyville, Kansas, and its not just high water residents have to deal with. A large oil spill during the flood covered everything it touched with a slimy, smelly layer of goo. The water is receding, but many people are still not able to get back into their homes to check the damage. News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports people aren’t the only ones coping with the terrible flooding in Coffeyville.
Carl and Nona Pendleton are spending their 30th wedding anniversary worrying.
“It’s something that you never think is going to happen to you. It always happens to somebody else, until it hits you in the face and you realize hey it happened to me. There is really no words to describe the feeling,” Coffeyville resident Nona Pendleton said.
At 73, and never experiencing anything like this, the couple is concerned about what recovery will mean.
“Probably like most people, when do we get back in? I’m not sure when we see it, we’ll want to. But I’d still like to know when,” Carl Pendleton of Coffeyville said.
But most of all the Pendleton’s are worried about their cats, Kitten and Cuddles. They had to leave them behind when they quickly evacuated. That’s where Code 3 steps in. A team of volunteers with the non-profit Colorado based group is going door to door, street by street to rescue stranded pets. The animal rescue group travels across the United States and Canada to rescue animals during natural disasters. They responded to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but Coffeyville’s flooding poses a special problem because of all the 42,000 gallons of oil that spilled into the Verdigris River which flooded Coffeyville.
“The toxins in the water are extremely dangerous to the animals, said Kay Mayfield with Code 3 Pet Rescue. When they don’t have any water, they will drink the water. They will eat something that has been in the water and that can cause internal problems.”
The toxic water can cause chemical burns and severe intestinal problems if the animals drink it. Rescued pets are decontaminated, treated by veterinarians if needed, and reunited with owners. Despite their efforts, volunteers haven’t found Kitten and Cuddles,
“We’ve been in there, but two gray cats we did not find,” Mayfield said.
But they’ll keep trying. The Pendleton’s will have to keep watching and waiting and hoping that their pets and others are found safe and sound.
Cleanup of the toxic sludge will complicate long-term flood recovery efforts for Coffeyville. The floodwater is receding, but forecasters say it could be early next week before all streams in southeast Kansas rivers fall below flood stage.
Follow this link to read the rest of the article and watch the video.
And more on the story from CNN.
Oklahomans flee as oily flood closes in
MIAMI, Oklahoma (AP) — Hundreds of residents fled their northeastern Oklahoma homes Tuesday with all they could carry as floodwaters pushed downstream, and one river carried an oil slick toward a large reservoir that supplies water to several cities.
An estimated 42,000 gallons of thick crude oil that spilled from a Kansas refinery on Sunday floated with mud and debris down the Verdigris River, coating everything it touched with a slimy, smelly layer of goo.
The slick wasn’t expected to have an effect on water supply intakes located well below the surface Oklahoma’s Oologah Lake, about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa, said Skylar McElhaney, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
The oil joins other causes of misery for thousands affected by flooding in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. ( Watch oily water swirling through town )
Torrential downpours led to fast-rising water early Tuesday in East Texas, prompting a couple of people to be rescued from water-logged vehicles.
A 70-year-old man was swept off the top of a car into floodwaters. Heheld onto a tree for about four hours before being rescued by game wardens, said Richard Hill, Hunt County’s emergency management coordinator.
No homes were flooded, Hill said Tuesday afternoon.
“We have had probably a good four hours of no rain, and the water is receding,” he said. “Right now it’s OK, but of course the forecast is for more torrential downpours tonight.”
In northeast Oklahoma, the rain-swollen Neosho River spilled over its banks, forcing at least 300 Miami residents to evacuate and flooding buildings and apartments at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, where classes were canceled for the rest of the week.
“We never anticipated this,” said Denia Payton, as family members pulled kitchen cabinets and a dishwasher from her home.
“I don’t have no flood insurance,” Payton said as the floodwaters lapped into her garage. “Whatever’s left here is gone.”
The river, swollen from heavy rains earlier in the week upstream in southeast Kansas, was scheduled to crest around midnight at 31 feet, more than 15 feet above flood stage, said Miami City Manager Mike Spurgeon.
No injuries were reported, but Spurgeon said another 200 to 300 homes may have to be evacuated before the water recedes.
Utility crews disconnected electricity on entire blocks to prevent the possibility of fire, and additional chlorine was added to the city’s water supply to prevent contamination.
“We’ve sent our fire department out to the areas where we anticipate the worst flooding to be,” Spurgeon said. “There’s those that just have a difficult time leaving. It’s a very personal deal with a lot of emotion involved.”
At least 50 people were evacuated by boat Tuesday from a rural community in western Missouri as floodwaters streaming in from neighboring Kansas submerged roads leading to the town.
Bates County Emergency Management Director Tim Young said most residents in and around the small community of Papinville were leaving after the nearby Osage and Marais des Cygnes rivers flooded.
“About half a mile outside town is where the water starts. Most of the roads in town are covered in water, so we’ve got houses as islands and we’ve got boats kind of wandering through to pick people up and provide assistance,” Young said.
Evacuees included one family outside town with 10 dogs, all of whom were brought out by boat, Young said.
