McAlester PittsburgCounty EmergencyManagement

08/31/2026

Pittsburg County Commissioners have approved an 8-day burn ban in effect until September 8, 2026

08/19/2026

🚨Planned Water Line Repair Thursday Morning

McAlester/Pittsburg County Emergency Management is coordinating with local water officials ahead of a planned repair affecting the line supplying the Haileyville water tower.

Crews are expected to shut down the line to the tower at approximately 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, to repair a leak at the line clamps. The repair is expected to take approximately four to six hours.

The Haileyville water tower is expected to be full when the work begins and should have enough stored water to continue serving the community into the evening. No water outage is currently anticipated during the repair.

Residents are encouraged to conserve water while the work is underway to help maintain storage levels in the tower.

As a proactive measure, potable water buffalos will be stationed at Haileyville City Hall, Hartshorne City Hall and the Pittsburg County District 1 barn and will be available if needed.

Emergency Management will continue coordinating with local water officials and will provide additional information if conditions change.

08/17/2026

High heat stress conditions will persist through the middle of the week. Heat stress will continue to impact outdoor activities. Some minor heat relief is forecast during the latter part of the week.

08/14/2026

**ATTENTION** Saturday August 15, 2026 Sirens will be tested around noon, weather permitting.
Please be aware and share this information.
Thank you

08/13/2026

Water System Recovery Underway Following Line Repair
PITTSBURG COUNTY, Okla. — Crews completed repairs early Thursday morning to a 12-inch water line break in the Jones Valley area following a multi-day water disruption that has left some residents across eastern Pittsburg County without water service.

The damaged section of line was cut out and repaired at approximately 5:10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13. Pumps began moving water back toward affected communities at approximately 7 a.m.

Areas impacted by the outage include the Hartshorne, Haileyville, Adamson, Bache, Blocker, Blanco, Bug Tussle, and High Hill areas.

While the repair marks significant progress, McAlester/Pittsburg County Emergency Management officials said restoring water service throughout the affected area will take time because the water system was substantially depleted during the outage.

Water must move back through the system while storage levels recover and pressure gradually rebuilds. Some customers may begin receiving water before others depending on their location within the distribution system.

Officials currently estimate the process of fully repressurizing the system could take approximately 24 to 48 hours. This is an estimate for system recovery and does not guarantee when service will return to an individual residence or business.

McAlester/Pittsburg County Emergency Management is working with Adamson Rural Water District No. 8 and the Pittsburg County Water Authority and continues to coordinate resources and monitor the recovery process.

The City of McAlester is also assisting with the response by allowing Pittsburg County to draw water from the City's system for transport by tanker truck to Haileyville.

Potable water locations
Potable water has been made available at the following locations for residents affected by the outage:

Haileyville City Hall: approximately 1,000 gallons

Pittsburg County Barn: approximately 1,000 gallons

Hartshorne City Hall: approximately 1,500 gallons

Residents should bring clean containers suitable for transporting drinking water.

Non-potable water has also been deployed for uses such as flushing toilets and other needs that do not require drinking-quality water.

Residents are asked to continue conserving water as service returns to help storage levels recover and allow pressure to rebuild throughout the system.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has been notified of the situation. Residents under a precautionary boil advisory should continue following that advisory until their water provider or DEQ announces that it has been lifted.

Emergency Management recognizes the difficulties caused by the prolonged disruption and appreciates the crews who worked through the night to complete the repair, the agencies and communities assisting with the response, and residents who continue to conserve water while the system recovers.

Additional information will be released as the recovery continues and verified information becomes available.

08/12/2026

8/12/2026
An overturned tanker carrying liquid nitrogen prompted an emergency response Wednesday on the Indian Nation Turnpike at the U.S. Highway 69 junction near exit 63B.

McAlester/Pittsburg County Emergency Management Director Leonard Baughman said the tanker was off-gassing following the rollover. A small amount of diesel also leaked from the vehicle and was contained by responders. A hazardous materials cleanup team was called to the scene to assist with cleanup and uprighting the truck.

No injuries were reported, and officials said there is no known danger to the public.

Traffic on the southbound turnpike was reduced to one lane near the incident, and motorists should expect delays while crews work to clear the scene.

Savanna Fire Department, Savanna Police Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to the incident.

Motorists traveling through the area should slow down, use caution and watch for emergency personnel working along the roadway.

The cause of the rollover has not been determined.

08/12/2026

08/12/2026

**ATTENTION**
Please be aware that there is an active incident involving liquid nitrogen on the Indian Nation Turnpike at the Exit 69 area.

Exercise extreme caution if you are traveling through this location, and be alert for emergency vehicles responding to the scene.

08/11/2026

🚨WATER CONSERVATION ALERT FOR RURAL WATER DISTRICT 8🚨

Our community is currently experiencing
LOW WATER TANK LEVELS. This is actively being worked to locate and repair. The issue has not yet resolved.
Until further notice, ALL RESIDENTS ARE ASKED TO CONSERVE WATER IMMEDIATELY.
Limit water usage to essential needs.
Avoid activities: Long showers, running appliances that use water, lawn watering, car washing.
Your cooperation is crucial to maintain water availability and ensure sufficient supply for emergency services.
We will provide updates when more information is available.