Tragedy On The River

[ollie]

This just breaks my heart. Went to CNN and found out several campers have lost their lives around the Albert Pike Campground due to flash flooding. I have stayed there several times in the past and have had to seek higher ground with my kids when it rained really hard so I know how that river can come up very fast. I suspect these people were upstream from the campground as many people camp along side the road in primative sites near the water. Beautiful country and very remote in some areas. With the Ouchita mountains and a small stream you know this place can get crazy after a major rain. My heart goes out for these people and I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.

[Gilly]

Hopefully the dozen confirmed dead are the only ones. Reports said 300+ may have been in the area. Pray the rest made it out. RIP to those who didn't..

[Ham]

I posted about this on RS.com a minute ago. I immediately thought of you Ollie when I heard about this event. I've had my families camping along both of these rivers. I've had great solo and family fishing trips on both of these rivers.

I drove over the Caddo yesterday and it was beautiful and looked to be at a great level for fishing and floating.

I can't say I would have known to cal off a camping trip if I had planned one for that area.

It breaks my heart too Ollie.

[ollie]

It is sad Ham, go to CNN and they have a video posted already that shows the water rageing through the campground. Looks to me like a lot of those summer cabins across from the campground got hit hard.

[ozark trout fisher]

Last I heard 20 were dead and 40 were missing.

It's so incredibly sad. My thoughts and prayers will be with those who were impacted.It's also scary-a slight miscalculation about how a predicted rain will effect stream flows can kill you apparently. It really is something I will think about before I plan my next camping/fishing trip. One day your wading, fishing, and camping without a concern for anything and the next morning you're gone. It's frightening what rivers can do.

[flytyer57]

This is exactly why I don't think too much about doing an overnighter on the river. A pop-up storm that was unpredicted, and you're climbing up some steep bank trying to stay alive.

We can only hope (and pray) those still missing are ok.

[eric1978]

Yeah, it's definitely worrisome. Apparently that storm came out of nowhere on a path that rarely occurs.

Got me thinking...for longer trips, do any of you guys have some kind of radio or other device that you can reliably get weather updates on? I think I'll look into something for future extended floats...radios have always been hit or miss on the rivers for me.

[Ham]

Little portable NOAA weather band radios can be purchased for less than 10 dollars and would have given these folks more of a warning. I bring mine on all the overnighters I do.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not blaming the people involved in this in any way for the tragic events. The really heavy rains that fell may not have occured where the people were staying. It looks like they were getting rained on, but not the 7-10 inches that fell very quickly at the headwaters.

I rented one of the cabins that is down fairly close to the river one Easter weekend. I don't think a heavy rainstorm would have had me loading up the wife and kids in the middle of the night to avoid potential flooding.

I have tent camped at Arrowhead campgrounds down near the river on the Caddo. I'm not sure a heavy rain would have made me break camp and run for the hills.

Hearing of probable flash flooding on my NOAA radio would have though.

[jdmidwest]

People that have never witnessed a flash flood never even think about it. Small little streams turn into raging rivers in a matter of minutes.

I grew up on the other side of a creek that you could cross without getting much more than your ankles wet. But when it rained, it drained a huge watershed, and could rise 15 feet or more in no time, as could the branch that separated the house from the barn. One summer back in 76, we had some campers across the creek with a PU truck camper, Caddie, and other stuff. The creek rose from a 6 inch thunderstorm that night late. They were able to get out of the camper and into the jon boat that was on top of the camper before it turned over and washed away. The Caddie ended up 1/4 mile downstream. We lost over a mile of fence, a low water bridge, and hogs. The campers never came back.

Several times since, we have had larger floods, but no damage. Everytime I camp, I try to be aware of any rain or river changes. The portable NOAA radio is great for this as well as other severe weather.

[ollie]

Good call Ham, makes me think I should get one too.