Oklahoma City teenager: 'I thought I was going to die'

The first Oklahoma flood victim pulled from rushing waters at Sooner Road and Hefner Road recounts her harrowing wait for rescue.

BY MEGAN ROLLAND | Modified: June 15, 2010 at 12:51 pm | Published: June 15, 2010

Ariana Smith thought she was going to die as she clung to a tree for two hours and watched the murky flood waters from Monday's torrential rain rush past her feet.

Multimedia

Videoview all videos

Oklahoma flood video: Deer Creek rescues

Jun 14Eric Harlow talks about his rescue team and who they...

Oklahoma flood video: Ski Island dam

Jun 14Mark Koss, chairman of the Ski Island dam committee,...

Oklahoma flood video: Homes flooded in The Valley

Jun 14Homes at 172nd and Pennsylvania Avenue in The Valley...

Oklahoma flood video: Emergency declared for 59 counties

Jun 14Severe storms and flooding led numerous stranded...

Oklahoma flood video: Hefner and Sooner Road rescue

Jun 14Oklahoma City fire fighters rescued Ariana Smith this...

Oklahoma flood video: Penn & Memorial

Jun 14Penn Ave. just south of Memorial in Oklahoma City was...

Oklahoma flood video: Evacuation request over for Ski Island

Jun 14Firefighters have ended the evacuation request for Ski...

Oklahoma flood video: High waters at Memorial and Pennsylvania in Oklahoma City

Jun 14Automobiles were having a hard time driving on...

Oklahoma flood video: OKC Flooding Rescue

Jun 14Randy Robinson was rescued by the OKC Fire Department...

Oklahoma flood video: Flooding in Oklahoma City

Jun 14OKC Flooding

Oklahoma flood video: Floods rush through Oklahoma City metro area

Jun 14View footage of high waters that flooded the Oklahoma...

Oklahoma flood video: Flooding at Chisholm Creek

Jun 14Residents talk about the flooding at The Valley edition...

Oklahoma flood video: Edmond

Jun 14View footage of flooding at 15th and Bryant in Edmond.

Oklahoma flood video: Edmond area

Jun 14A look at flooding in Chisholm Creek, Spring Creek and...

Oklahoma flood video: Flooding in The Village

Jun 14Flooding in The Village June 14, 2010 is seen in this...

Oklahoma flood video: Rains render parts of OKC impassable

Jun 14Heavy rain caused high water at numerous intersections...

Photoview all 159 photos

Article Gallery: Oklahoma City teenager: 'I thought I was going to die'

NewsOK Related Articles

Torrential rains flood some areas of Oklahoma City
06/15/2010 Heavy rains flood homes, cars
Oklahoma flooding: Oklahoma man dies after car plunges into rain-swollen creek
06/15/2010 The passenger of a car that ran off the road and plunged into a rain-swollen creek couldn't escape the wreck and drowned, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol...
Oklahoma flooding: Sooner and Hefner becomes site of seven rescues
06/15/2010 Emergency personnel rescue motorists stranded or swept away in a flood-swollen river near Sooner and Hefner roads in northeast Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City flooding: Oklahoma River training site damaged by floods
06/15/2010 Part of a dock, boats and training barge are swept east along Oklahoma River. But, by Monday evening, most of the items were found.
Oklahoma flooding: Capitol complex buildings sustain damage
06/15/2010 Heavy rains damage Oklahoma state Capitol buildings. Some agencies close, reduce staff for the day.
Oklahoma City neighborhoods evacuated after flooding
06/15/2010 Floodwaters poured into more than 40 homes in two north Oklahoma City neighborhoods Monday morning, prompting a massive evacuation effort involving boats,...
Oklahoma City flooding: Train of rains bring record total
06/15/2010 One Oklahoma Mesonet in Oklahoma City station received more than 10 inches in 14 hours after having received 13.25 inches for the year prior to Monday's...
Rainfall totals
06/15/2010 Notable rainfall totals recorded by Oklahoma Mesonet stations from midnight to 9 p.m. Monday (in inches): • OKC North: 10.48 • OKC...
What to Do: Tips for during and after a flood
06/15/2010 Tips for during and after a flood →During flooding, the greatest threat comes from moving water. The deeper the moving water, the greater the threat....
Floodwaters turn Oklahomans into heroes
06/15/2010 Tire shop manager saves two women trapped in their vehicles by flood waters and an OKC garbage truck driver lifts another driver to safety.

The 16-year-old Carl Albert High School student had been driving in the morning rain to her aunt's house in the Oakdale Valley subdivision to baby-sit her cousins.

She was driving east...
View full article on Oklahoman.com

How do I get Full Access?