Oklahoma’s Muscogee Creek Nation Casino was forced to close Thursday (May 5) after the tribal gaming property flooded during heavy rains. It is unclear when the casino will reopen.
The casino building reportedly first got flooded at about 1:30 am on Thursday. Later in the morning, it was estimated that at least 60 percent of the casino floor was flooded.
Flood Water Pumped Out
Emergency crews were seen pumping water from the casino floor on Thursday. Tribal officials from the Muscogee Nation were unsure how extensive the flooding was, according to KTUL, a local TV station.
There was no immediate estimate to repair damage. No one was believed to have been injured.
The city of Muskogee saw more than seven inches of rain by Thursday morning. More rain was predicted to fall later in the day. But the outlook for the next several days predicts sunny or partly sunny skies.
The immediate area in Muskogee received 73 emergency calls between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, KJRH, another local TV station, reported. Officials in Muskogee and nearby Bixby rescued at least 21 individuals during the flooding. One residence was under several feet of water during the flooding, KOTV, another Oklahoma TV station, reported.
Donkeys, Dogs, Wolf Rescued
Among the animals that needed to be rescued were 11 dogs, two cats, a tortoise, and even a pet wolf. Residents in kayaks were seen rescuing donkeys and horses, KOTV said.
Several emergency shelters were opened temporarily to house flood victims.
On Thursday, Muscogee Principal Chief David Hill signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency on the Muscogee Reservation. He later inspected flooding around tribal headquarters in Okmulgee.
The Arkansas River flows in Muscogee, with other bodies of water, such as Sam Creek, nearby. Muscogee is located about 49 miles southeast of Tulsa.
If the Muscogee Creek Nation Casino is forced to remain closed, the tribe is likely to keep on paying its 166 workers, KTUL said. In 2019, when the tribe’s River Spirit Casino Resort was flooded, employees at the venue kept on getting their salaries even through the property was forced to temporarily close.
The Muscogee Nation operates several gaming properties. Others besides Muscogee Creek Nation Casino and River Spirit Casino Resort include: Duck Creek Casino, Creek Nation Casino Holdenville, Creek Nation Casino Eufaula, One Fire Casino, Creek Nation Casino Bristow, Creek Nation Casino Checotah, and Okemah Casino.
Only Muscogee Creek Nation Casino was reported this week to be closed from flooding. The tribe in based in Okmulgee. The tribe says it is the fourth largest US Native American tribe with 86,100 citizens.
Muscogee Creek Nation Casino typically is open between 10 am and 4 am daily.
The post Muscogee Creek Nation Casino Shutters After Oklahoma Venue Gets Flooded appeared first on Casino.org.
- "
- 100
- 11
- 2019
- About
- American
- animals
- Another
- AREA
- arkansas
- around
- Building
- Casino
- Casino Resort
- Cats
- chief
- Citizens
- City
- closed
- Creek
- damage
- day
- Dogs
- During
- employees
- executive
- executive order
- Feet
- Fire
- First
- flooding
- Gaming
- horses
- House
- How
- HTTPS
- image
- IMMEDIATE
- inches
- IT
- local
- May
- more
- Oklahoma
- open
- order
- Other
- Outlook
- Principal
- property
- REOPEN
- repair
- reservation
- Resort
- right
- salaries
- State
- State of Emergency
- station
- The
- Through
- Tribal
- tv
- us
- Water
- week
- Wolf
- workers
