An early May flood means a Muskogee linen plant will be permanently closed, a move that will put nearly 100 employees out of work.
The flooding was part of severe weather that hit Muskogee. It resulted in nearly 50 people who had to be rescued by firefighters and others. City leaders said at the time they estimated the damage from last week’s flooding might approach the devastation from the historic floods that hit eastern Oklahoma three years ago.
The Superior Linen Service company’s plant in Muskogee notified the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development this week of the closing decision.
“On May 5th, 2022, Superior Linen Service’s Muskogee, OK, plant flooded, causing considerable damage. After a thorough assessment, we determined that the damage was substantial enough to cause us to have to permanently shut down the plant,” explained Russell Holt, Chief Compliance Officer with the company in the May 18 notification to the state.
It was reported that 92 workers will be affected although the company said it was working to retain as many as possible for employment at the firm’s operations in Tulsa.
The official notice of the job closing started on Tuesday, May 17.