TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — Emergency service and rescue workers returned to a site near Peggs this morning where a small child was separated from her mother Monday after their vehicle stalled in floodwaters.
Several people searched until nearly midnight for a 2-year-old girl, identified by Tulsa TV Channel 6 as MacKinsey Beck, daughter of Heather Alverson. Rescuers had returned to the location early this morning.
The mother told authorities she was driving through high water in the Littlefield Slab area when her vehicle stalled. She got out of the vehicle and tried to carry her child on her back to safety, but she slipped and fell, and the pair become separated.
Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault said the mother placed a 911 call at 7 p.m., but it’s unknown how much time had elapsed before the mother was able to regain her footing and get to a phone to make the call.
The mother lost sight of the toddler after falling.
Firefighters from Peggs and the Illinois River Volunteer Fire Departments rushed to the scene, along with sheriff’s deputies.
Floodwaters were continuing to rise in the Peggs area during the night, and road conditions were deteriorating.
The Peggs area and northern Cherokee County were especially hard hit during Monday’s storm. Heavy rain fell in that area before making its way to Tahlequah and other parts of the county.
County commission road crews, as well as city Street Department workers, were called on to block roads in several locations due to flooding. Oklahoma Department of Transportation crews were also called to block some roads.
The heavy rain with more forecast later in the week could create more problems for the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller. The river was on the rise Monday night at Tahlequah and was at 6.69 feet at 10 p.m. Two inches of rain were reported on the river, and a little more than 1-1/2 inches were reported at the Tahlequah airport.
Tahlequah-Cherokee County Emergency Management Assistant Director Mike Underwood said the National Weather Service was reporting the Tahlequah area received more than 4 inches of rain Monday.
Local emergency officials received as many as four reports of school buses being swept off the road in northern Cherokee County during the storm. No injuries were reported.
Some localized street flooding occurred in Tahlequah, but that quickly receded when the rains stopped.
No rain is expected today, but forecasts indicate heavy rain is possible again Wednesday and Thursday.
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