Dozens of people and several pets rescued from river in Ohio after warnings about high water
(Photo credit: City of Kent Fire Dept.)
A total of 51 people and eight dogs were pulled out of a river in Ohio over just three hours on Sunday after strong currents caused them to fall out of rafts, tubes and kayaks, officials said. The Cuyahoga River likely surged from heavy rain in the area over the weekend or late last week, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The City of Kent Fire Department said crews responded Sunday afternoon to a report that 11 people — six children and five adults — had fallen out of their rafts in the Cuyahoga River and were unable to get out of the fast-moving water. Firefighters and the Portage County Water Rescue Team arrived to the area of the Middlebury Road boat ramp and found that "many other people" were struggling in the river as well.
(Photo credit: City of Kent Fire Dept.)
Crews in boats and on shore rescued the initial 11 victims and brought them safely to shore, but during the rescue they observed people in kayaks and rafts "losing control or falling out" due to the string current.
For around three hours, crews continued to pull people and their pets out of the rushing river, with assistance from neighboring fire departments. A total of 23 people and six dogs were safely rescued. Another 28 people and two dogs were assisted out of the water downstream "due to dangerous the conditions."
"While today's response ended safely for all those on the water, it serves as a reminder of how powerful and unpredictable the river can be," the fire department said.
Rounds of rain have frequented eastern Ohio to parts of western Pennsylvania and West Virginia during the middle of June, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
"While the major rivers have handled the rainfall with few issues, it is the small streams and secondary rivers that surged quickly with high water and fast currents. With the most recent heat dome, many of the rivers had receded during this week, but new downpours, as the heat dome breaks down, can lead to renewed high water and flash flooding on some streams and secondary rivers in the region.”
Just a day before the rescues, the fire department had warned people on social media to "stay off the river until it returns to a safe level." The department shared an informational video of the river with elevated water levels and strong currents, which was originally produced for warnings such as this after several people needed rescue "a few years" ago.
On Monday, the fire department again warned that river levels remained high and urged people to stay off the water.
Reporting by TMX
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