Flood-damaged homeowners rush to meet Oklahoma City claims deadline

The torrential rains that flooded dozens of Oklahoma City homes June 14, 2010, have prompted a recent barrage of damage claims as residents rushed to meet a one-year deadline for filing claims against the city. One year after torrential rains sent floodwaters from Chisholm Creek surging into homes in a north Oklahoma City subdivision, many residents of The Valley have filed damage claims blaming city “improvements” for the catastrophe. The city deepened and widened the creek channel without widening the area under a road bridge, creating a “choke-point” that caused rushing floodwaters to back up into their neighborhood, they claim.