Graham said between a lack of law enforcement response to looting and a complicated state buyout program that takes years to process, he saw little support from elected officials during the flood recovery.

“We weren’t even thinking about a Christmas tree, trying to just get a roof over my family, you know. So I’ve got a Christmas tree for your family.’ And he gave me a Christmas tree,” Graham said. And he was like, ‘Hey man, I know your family’s lost everything. “The guy who runs it, I actually graduated high school with.

He gestured to a twinkling Christmas tree in the living room, courtesy of the local community center. Sitting at his dining room table, Graham surveyed the house the family had been forced to start over in. While navigating the turbulent waters of flood insurance and restoration companies, their community stepped in to help with the recovery. StateImpact Oklahoma The Grahams’ Christmas tree stands in their living room. But in smaller communities like Sand Springs and Braggs, residents found themselves relying on each other throughout the disaster and its aftermath. In Tulsa, decades of infrastructure investments shielded residents from the worst of the waters. It also left in its wake an estimated $3.4 billion in damages.Īs climate change research continues to paint an increasingly dire picture of the future of flooding, StateImpact and KOSU examined how different Oklahoma communities prepare for and react to severe flooding events. Graham, his wife and their six children were victims of the May 2019 flood, which resulted in record river flooding especially in northeast Oklahoma along the Arkansas River. Anything that may have been salvageable was pilfered by looters roaming the destruction. Left behind were musical instruments, hunting and fishing gear, Graham’s military equipment, memorabilia from grandparents and years worth of memories. StateImpact Oklahoma At the Grahams' abandoned Sand Springs home, a waterline marks the peak of the flood waters’ rise.

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