Flash flooding in east Oklahoma leads to evacuation of Boys and Girls Club

Sallisaw police and fire evacuated the Squoyah County Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday, July 8 as flooding took over the street in far eastern Oklahoma. 

SALLISAW, Ok. – Heavy rain led to Flash Flooding in eastern Oklahoma on Tuesday, prompting the emergency evacuation of a local Boys and Girls Club and water rescues.

Thunderstorms moving over Oklahoma and Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon produced between 4 and 7 inches of rainfall across parts of Crawford, Sequoyah, Adair and Haskell counties, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa.

First responders in flood water near the Sequoyah Boys and Girls Club in Sallisaw, Oklahoma on July 8, 2025.

(City of Sallisaw)

The city of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, reported “severe flooding” around 11 a.m., asking residents to shelter in place. Around the same time, an urgent message went out to parents of children at the Sequoya County Boys and Girls Club.

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“Due to water entering the building, the Boys & Girls Club is temporarily closing today, July 8th. We need all parents to pick up their children as soon as it is safe to do so,” the message read. 

Shortly after, Sallisaw police and fire teams began evacuating the building. Parents were told to pick up their children at the local fire station.

Video shows some children being carried out in knee-deep water. 

A Flash Flood Warning remains in place through Tuesday afternoon for west central Crawford, Sequoyah, southern Adair and northeastern Haskell counties.