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Daily Archives: June 11, 2010

by John Dee | June 11, 2010

16 die, dozens missing in Arkansas flash flood

About 300 sleeping campers along a rugged, secluded stretch of the Little Missouri River in southwest Arkansas were jolted early Friday morning by a flash flood that at its height reached 23 feet.

So far, 16 people have been confirmed dead, and a search-and-rescue operation is underway to find survivors, said Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe.

An emergency worker said that three dozen or more are still missing, according to the Associated Press.

“People go there truly to get away from it all,” he said. “There’s little communication, little cellphone servce. The assumption is most people would have been asleep at that time.”

The Red Cross estimates that at least 300 campers were in the area, he said.

Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said it is difficult to pinpoint how many people were camping there because the site is an unpatrolled area where visitors do not need to register.

Heavy rains overnight triggered the flash flood. The National Weather Service reports 7.6 inches of rain fell overnight in the area.

The river has receded down to 11 feet and continues to drop, Sadler said. Normally, the river flows at three to five feet, Sadler said.

At least 30 state troopers, sheriff’s deputies from two counties and U.S. Forestry Service workers are searching the area for survivors and bodies, Sadler said. They are searching by foot and in three helicopters provided by the National Guard.

Sadler said survivors have been rescued, but he did not know how many.

A makeshift morgue in a refrigerated truck has been set up in the area, he said. The Red Cross also is staging a camp in the area for survivors.

The first emergency call to the local sheriff’s offices came about 5:30 a.m., Sadler said.

The National Guard dispatched helicopters to help in the rescue because much of the area was inaccessible by land. Tracy Farley of the U.S. Forest Service said the floods eroded some road beds and knocked trees across roads. Crews with bulldozers and chain saws were sent to the area.

Tabitha Clarke, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock, said the water rose quickly from 1:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. A river gauge at Langley, just south of the Camp Albert Pike area, had a peak reading of 23.39 feet — up from 3 feet deep at midnight.

From 2:45 a.m. to 3:45 a.m., the river rose 8.08 feet and continued to rise, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors the gauge.

The river runs through the Ouachita Mountains about 75 miles west of Little Rock. The area that flooded, the Albert Pike Campground, sits on U.S. Forest Service land known by hikers, campers and fishermen for its gorges and stunning views. It is located in two of the state’s least populated counties.

Parents of US teen sailor defend record attempt

Dear incredibly stupid people that are attacking the Sunderlands,

Here is California, we have this thing called “the ocean.” People like Abby Sunderland and myself go to this “ocean” all the time. We love the beaches and the water. I am sure Abby Sunderland has more than enough sailing experience to circle the globe. Mind your own business and go watch your grass grow. JD

LOS ANGELES — The parents of a 16-year-old sailor stranded in the Indian Ocean defended their daughter’s solo round the world record attempt Friday as the teenager awaited rescue from her stricken yacht.

Abby Sunderland became the center of an international rescue effort when her 40-foot sailboat “Wild Eyes” was dismasted by mountainous waves as the youngster attempted a treacherous winter crossing of the Indian Ocean.

Fears for the youngster’s safety mounted after her parents lost contact with her shortly before two emergency beacons on the craft were activated on Thursday.

Australia scrambled a chartered passenger jet from Perth to scour seas some 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) away and finally spotted Sunderland before establishing radio contact with the sailor.

Sunderland, who was reported to be safe and in good spirits Friday, is now waiting to be plucked from the ocean by a French ship diverted to her location, which is expected to arrive sometime on Saturday.

After expressing relief that their daughter had been found safe, Sunderland’s parents on Friday rejected criticism of their child’s attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

“The fact is whether a teenager, or a young adult or a middle-aged person, there have been many rescues that have taken place,” father Laurence Sunderland told NBC television’s Today program.

He cited the example of French yachtswoman Isabelle Autissier, rescued from her capsized yacht in the southern Pacific Ocean in 1999 during the solo round-the-world race.

“Do we say that she shouldn’t go out there and sail or that nobody should go out and sail because you face hard knocks and sometimes people need to be rescued? I don’t think so,” Sunderland said.

“Abigail’s campaign unfortunately had a blow with the masting out there in the Indian Ocean and she’s proven herself on more than one occasion before now to deal with the adversities of the ocean.

“She’s proven herself capable of dealing with this. This is more of a testimony to her will to survive and deal with the situation than a travesty that she went out there at all.”

Mother Marianne Sunderland meanwhile said the family had sought to minimize the risks of the voyage by having a comprehensive support team in place.

But she doubted whether her daughter would ever attempt such a hazardous record attempt again.

“I am definitely having a bit of a knee jerk reaction,” she told CNN. “I don’t want anyone going anywhere. (Abby) loves sailing. I don’t think she will attempt anything of this magnitude again.

“I am sure she will be out to sea again someday.”

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