Tecumseh family still stranded after huge washout during historic floods

Two weeks after historic flooding across Oklahoma, warmer weather reveals lasting scars in badly damaged communities. 

In one part of Tecumseh, a family remains stranded after a portion of the private road washed out, leading up to their house. Now, a roughly 10-foot hole separates their home from the community. 

“When we moved out here, we didn't know what it was,” said Jeff Welchel, who has now lived in the home for 30 years. “But, we found out it was a private road.” 

It means the family is on the hook for paying to replace the road themselves. Welchel estimates it could cost up to $15,000. 

“That's the only way we have to get in and out,” he said. “I don't know what I'm going to do to be able to get in and out. It’s terrible. It's not a good feeling, and it's hard to describe.” 

Welchel, who is fighting stage 4 cancer, remains more concerned about his wife and their daughter’s family, who also live on their end of the road. 

His 1-year-old granddaughter makes monthly trips to OU Children’s to receive treatment for a heart condition. 

“They're having to carry the kids across the ravine,” he said. 

It’s not a job he can take up on his own. 

“I’ve always taken care of stuff myself, but since I’ve got down, I got stage four cancer, and I don’t breathe real well, and it’s hard for me to get around anymore,” he explained. 

Welchel said his daughter has been climbing in and out of the hole in the meantime to provide food and supplies for the family.