OKMULGEE, Okla. — Two bridges in rural parts of the county are totally washed out as all three districts deal with the aftermath and downstream flows of recent torrential rains.
Deep Fork River is still at flood levels at several spots near Okmulgee, Preston and Beggs.
WATCH: Bridges closed by flooding
"We've had some culverts washed out," Okmulgee County Emergency Management director Jeff Moore told 2 News on May 7. "We've had some roads washed away. So all three of our districts are out right now, working to get those repaired as fast and as quickly as they hand they can."
While 2 News didn't hear back from county commissioners, Moore said only temporary fixes are being worked on, but those could take weeks.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a disaster declaration on May 5 that includes Okmulgee County. Moore said the county has always needed updated road and bridge infrastructure, but federal funding is needed to make that possible.
"If we get this big declaration, we can do what's called a 406 mitigation request help from FEMA as well, to build back better and stronger than before."
In the meantime, Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge is inaccessible from its Sharp Road route. Its refuge manager told 2 News its trails remain open.
210 Road near Celia Berryhill Road, south of the town of Preston, is also closed at the bridge.
Moore said the roads could remain impassible for at least a couple weeks or more while crews make temporary repairs.
"Give yourself extra time, and just know that we're doing the very best we can to get that fixed in a timely manner, and to alleviate the inconvenience," Moore added. "And it's gonna take a lot of patience."
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