SALLISAW, Okla. — The town of Sallisaw got nearly six inches of rain on the morning of July 8. Floodwaters ran through city streets, eventually through the front door of the Boys and Girls Club of Sequoyah County.
“At about 9:00am is when it really started raining," club CEO Laura Kuykendall said. "About 30 minutes after that it was on the sidewalks, then 15 minutes after that it was coming through the doors.”
WATCH: Sallisaw flooding forces evacuation
The club is normally a safe place for kids. That morning, more than 50 children had to be evacuated from the club.
"The water just rushed in," staff member Cierra Sizemore said. "At that point, we were like, well, nothing we can do about it now. Hop on my back, let's go."
Workers at the club began taking kids out of the building and onto the streets, where knee-high water rushed down the road.
"You're trying to stand up in water that is knee or thigh high, and it's rushing," Kuykendall said. "It's not water just trickling by. It's trying to knock you down."
"Through all of it, that was the scariest part," Sizemore said. "Holding on to the kids. Because if I go down, they're going down with me."
Thankfully, everybody made it out safely. As for the club itself, the water left its mark. Significant damage to games and curriculum, classroom equipment and more. The floors throughout the complex has to be replaced.
"They've told me it'll take a minimum of 3-4 weeks to clean up," Kuykendall said. "They'll have to remove walls. Then another month or so to rebuild, so we'll have to find another place to open up for parents and our kids."
For the staff, it's all worth it in the end for the kids they take care of.
"We're with these kids 10 hours a day, five days a week," Sizemore said. "So, they're really our kids. They're our babies."
The Boys and Girls Club is closed for the rest of the week. Kuykendall says she hopes to find a temporary location by Monday, and that they would like to be back in the old building within a couple of months.
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