Downpours of as much as 7″ inundate Sallisaw streets, buildings

Heavy downpours on Tuesday engulfed Sallisaw streets and Sequoyah County roads, submerged at least one vehicle at the Cherokee Avenue railroad underpass, inundated buildings in flood-prone areas and wreaked havoc for motorists trying to determine the safest route in a city that swiftly looked more like Venice, Italy, than eastern Oklahoma.

Cherokee Avenue underpass

According to Oklahoma Mesonet and Fort Smith meteorologists, at least 5½” and as much as 7″ of rain was dumped on Sallisa...