High water swamps campgrounds along two Arkansas rivers

[ChinMusic]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37637416...ife/?GT1=43001

16 dead, dozens missing in Ark. floods

High water swamps campgrounds along two rivers


updated 25 minutes ago

CADDO GAP, Ark. - Flash floods swamped campgrounds along a pair of southwestern Arkansas rivers early Friday, killing 16 and leaving anguished families pleading with emergency workers for help in finding dozens of missing people.
More than 40 people were unaccounted for after the Caddo and Little Missouri rivers rose quickly overnight — at times faster than 8 feet per hour, said Gary Fox, a retired emergency medical technician coordinating with families to determine who was dead and who had yet to be found.
"This is not a one- or two-day thing," Fox said outside a command post near Langley, along the Little Missouri. "This is going to be a week or two- or three-week recovery."



The Albert Pike Recreation Area, a 54-unit campground in the Ouachita National Forest, was packed with vacationing families, many of them from Louisiana and Texas, Fox said. Two dozen people were hospitalized and another 60 were rescued from the steep Ouachita Mountains valley.
"It's a lot of tragedy. I cannot even imagine what the families are going through," Fox said.
It was unlikely that many of the missing could have left the area on their own after the flood. Fox said nearly everyone lost their vehicles when the floodwaters swept through the recreation area.
Night of prayer
Marc and Stacy McNeil of Marshall, Texas, survived the flooding by pulling their pickup truck between two trees and standing in the bed in waist-deep water.
"It was just like a boat tied to a tree," Marc McNeil said, describing how the truck bobbed up and down.
They were on their first night of camping with a group of seven, staying in tents. The rain kept falling and the water kept rising throughout the night, at one point topping the tool box in the back of the truck.

"We huddled together, and prayed like we'd never prayed before." Stacy McNeil said.
By dawn the rain stopped, the water receded and they were able to walk to safety.
Near the command post outside the Langley post office, helicopters landed behind a general store and a triage unit was set up at a volunteer fire department.
Meliea Moore of Hot Springs waited at the general store with her friend whose sister, brother-in-law and niece were missing. They had been staying in a cabin for the past week at the campground.
A center for relatives of the missing was set up at a church in Lodi where dry clothes and food are available to family.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is heading to Montgomery County, governor's spokesman Matt DeCample said. DeCample said he didn't know exactly where the governor would be in stricken area.
"I'll know when we land," DeCample said.

[Bear Cables]

Have ya'll been seeing the horrible disaster in Ark? The Little Mo river topped at 25 ft. causing flash flooding at Albert Pike Campground. This is the trailhead for the Eagle Rock Loop Trail. My sister and I were in that exact place in April. My heart goes out to the families of the dead, missing and those that still need to be rescued. 20 confirmed dead .So sad about it!

[Sierra Echo]

I was reading about that earlier. That is horrible. My prayers go out to the families.

[Bear Cables]

CNN is covering it with live footage and updates.

[berninbush]

I'm guessing that's the same storm that swept through Texas the day before. I thought we'd get it (Houston) but it passed north of us and we got not a drop. But I heard New Braunfels got 6 inches of rain officially, and somebody measured 11 inches. That's also a big camping area (along the Guadalupe and Comal rivers) and put a lot of campers in danger. I didn't hear if there were any deaths there, though.

Prayers for all affected.

[ki0eh]

OMG! I must admit this possibility's occurred to me when at a campsite by a pretty babbling brook. Sympathy and prayers to all of those affected.

[Bear Cables]

I hope they are also looking for stranded backpackers along Eagle Loop. All of the campsites on the trail are next to creeks that feet the Little Mo. My fear is that anyone camping at Winding Stair wouldn't have had a chance as it is like a canyon.

[se7enty]

i'm watching a report on this right now on my local news. they are saying 8-10" of rain in as little as 3 hours. WOW! that's insane.

it's 20 dead and 36 missing right now.

this is horrible. my thoughts are with the families.

[Lone Wolf]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/11...kansas-floods/

[ChinMusic]

Our Trail Talk group had a trip in this area last year (Buffalo River Trail). It rained a ridiculous amount of the drive down there. I looked at the campsite that was selected for the first evening and thought it looked like a flash flood ready to happen on the map.

I stayed in a motel for the first evening.

[SGT Rock]

Holy crap. I've been there a few times. I can't even imagine what the Little Missouri would look like 25' up.

[ed bell]

Cut-off low pressure system caused the crazy precipitation totals. The forecasts showed the chance for localized heavy rain, but you have to figure folks on vacation aren't thinking about potential floodwater levels, let alone a 100 year flood. What a terrible tragedy, my condolences to all the families.

[Bear Cables]

Our Trail Talk group had a trip in this area last year (Buffalo River Trail). It rained a ridiculous amount of the drive down there. I looked at the campsite that was selected for the first evening and thought it looked like a flash flood ready to happen on the map.

I stayed in a motel for the first evening.

The BRT is further north and east in the Ozarks. This flooding was southwest in the Ouchitas. But very similar terrain. Makes me think twice about camping on a sand bar or edge of a river unless sure the weather will be clear.

[Bear Cables]

I know that cell phone reception is very poor to none at all there. Wonder if they will install more cell towers so that campers and hikers can get messages when trouble is brewing. I know they erected temporary tower for the SAR this week. Also wonder if this will lead to the Parks Service requiring rangers to drive to the sites and warn campers???

[Pedaling Fool]

...Wonder if they will install more cell towers so that campers and hikers can get messages when trouble is brewing...

I wonder if this was an issue before, much like the windturbines in Maine.

[ChinMusic]

The BRT is further north and east in the Ozarks. This flooding was southwest in the Ouchitas. But very similar terrain. Makes me think twice about camping on a sand bar or edge of a river unless sure the weather will be clear.

My buddy, who can read maps better than me, says the BRT is not nearly the "V"-shape as the Little Missouri. Had we had flooding conditions the campground could easily have been flooded but the rise would have been much slower and the options for moving to higher ground much more evident.

It does give one pause when camping near a stream. I don't think I would be smart enough to be able to know if my particular spot was relatively safe or at risk similar to the Little Missouri.

I will still camp near such streams but will now make more of an effort to plan an escape route (as simple as a nearby hill) should things go sour.

[SMSP]

My 1st thoughts are: how tragic and sad this event is, my thoughts and prayers are with those affected and their families. This is just a terrible tragedy and my condelances go out to all.

2nd thoughts are: had I had a hiking partner this past April 2010, I would have used Albert Pike Campground as my start/end point for the Eagle Rock Loop. In the research I did on reading about this area, I do not recall anything about the possibility of flooding of this magnitude. I do recall reading about the several river/creek crossings involved on the Eagle Rock Loop and backpackers need to mindful and cautious for higher than normal river/creek levels. But this flood was obviously not a typical higher than normal river/creek levels. News reports of 8 feet per hour, that is an incredible amount of flooding! How could anyone have prepared?

How many of us have gone camping or backpacking with the forecast of potential bad weather? This brings about a 3rd thought, which is a reminder of the inherent risk involved in these types of activities, even in a campground.

My 4th thought: could this have been prevented? And will there be some type of knee jerk reaction by the government? One of the uniqueness of these types of campground areas and recreational areas, is their remoteness. Will bringing in cell towers and air sirens 'fix' this type of situation? I dont know, but just a thought.

Since I didnt have a hiking partner this past April 2010, I settled for camping in the Gulpha Gorge Campground in the Hot Springs National Park. The weather forecast for that weekend was terrible. I was determined to camp anyway and I did. I hammocked three nights with one of those nights in tornadic weather. I knew the possible weather forecast and assumed the inherent risks. Fortunately, eveything went well and I stayed dry in the Eagles Nest Outfitters hammock system. Makes me wonder now of the possibility of being another statistic.

Again and foremost, my prayers go out to the family and friends of those affected by this tragedy.

SMSP

[berninbush]

Also wonder if this will lead to the Parks Service requiring rangers to drive to the sites and warn campers???

For established campgrounds, I really believe this is the most effective means of warning people. Rangers know the local territory and are mindful of weather conditions. They also carry authority with sensible people. (Of course there will always be the dumb people who ignore them...).

One time I was camping in a campground with some friends. We had just got the tents set up, and noticed that the weather was starting to look quite unpromising. Just then the ranger came by and warned us that they were expecting 60 mph winds and possibly tornadoes. He suggested that if we stayed, we might find ourselves having to take shelter in our cars or in the bath houses. We did what we felt was the most sensible thing: packed it up and went home, and had a nice s'mores cookout in someone's garage while the mother of all storms raged outside.

[The Solemates]

we were there, lying our heads at that same spot, just the weekend before this happened. thank God for protecting us! Our prayers go out to those affected.