GEOSPATIAL MAPPING OF THE MIAMI OKLAHOMA FLOOD OF 2007, CHALLENGES AND REFLECTIONS

Geospatial mapping and aerial photography techniques were used to identify elevation-affected areas by the July 2007 Miami, Oklahoma flood. Floodwaters from the Neosho River and Tar Creek inundated homes in six neighborhoods of Miami, OK, a community of less than 14,000. As a result, 1,500 to 2,000 people were evacuated and approximately 500 homes and 30 businesses were adversely affected. Flooding in Miami was the result of heavy precipitation in Kansas, upstream in the Neosho River watershed, combined with insufficient release of the Neosho River at Pensacola Dam on Grand Lake of the Cherokees, downstream from Miami. The combination of events created an additional complication with back water effect on Tar Creek, which drains the formerly rich Pb-Zn mining regions. There is sedimentation due to erosion from mine tailings piles which results in a diminishing of the hydraulic capacity of the streams. The lake was also receiving water from Spring River. Location and elevation coordinates were obtained with a global-positioning system base station and rover. The reference for flooded structures was AutoCad-generated maps of the city’s plats. Small-format aerial photography (SFAP) via kites and helium blimp was the reference for detailed surface features in the Tar Creek area. Using geographic information software, mapping of the elevations along the floodpath was completed. Results indicate earlier flood warning and evacuation are feasible and the mapping project is helpful in pinpointing areas of highest risk for floods due to backwater effects of Grand Lake. Reflections on the human impact of this flood as seen through young people in the community were published. Applying these geospatial map modeling techniques may aid in future prediction guiding community awareness and land use planning.