FLOOD WATCH: HIGH WATER HAVOC IN THE MIDWEST

Courtesy of Claire Abendroth, MLive  Check out her other flood Photos

This past week roughly 70 rivers were at flood stage and more than 250 river gauges reported levels above flood stage from the Great Lakes to Texas according to the National Weather Service as heavy rains and intense flooding has ravaged parts of central and southern states. While this weekend, states along the Atlantic Coast are bracing for a major Nor'easter expected to pound the region with damaging winds, heavy rain and snow and severe flooding.

Flood waters on the Ohio River in both Louisville and Cincinnati were at their highest levels in 20 years. The river was expected to reach moderate flood stage along the southern border of Ohio and West Virginia in the coming days, the weather service said.

In Michigan, the water is receding after flooding that prompted evacuations after areas were swamped by high water from heavy rains and melting snow.

As the water gush city streets were turned into rivers enticing some paddlers to break out their boats and explore their flooded neighborhoods and the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Last week, Colleen Curran and her husband Jesse Schultz launched their kayaks in a campus parking lot and toured the flooded college's landmarks and sports facilities paddling down the usually dry River Trail, or through Beal Botanical Gardens, where the water went right up to the university's library.

The coolest sight, she told MLive, was paddling through the baseball and softball diamonds, where water was so deep, at times their paddles didn't even touch the ground. The doors to the hitting and pitching facility were open, to paddle through, giving them the feeling of being on the Titanic.

"We kayak the same rivers all the time," Curran said, "It's not often it floods and we get to do something different."

Floodwater, however, can be very treacherous as Kalamazoo's Evan Curtis told Wood TV8.
"There’s a whole bunch of people kayaking, so we’re like, ‘Hey let’s go kayaking! We thought it would be a great idea. Like it’d be a great time.”
But, it didn’t take long for Curtis and the rest of his kayak club to figure that out that the flooded Kalamazoo River wasn't the place to play.
“There were spots that where it was pretty questionable,” he said. “Once we got to the river that was crazy. It was going so fast.”

Rescuers are saying that those high swift waters on the Paw Paw River and the Grand River are to blame for two missing kayakers presumed drowned in two separate incidents in Michigan earlier this week. While an Indiana State Police trooper and two good Samaritans quick action saved a kayaker’s life.

The Lansing Fire Department says rescue teams were told that the man fell into the into the Grand River water running fast after last week's major flooding, Tuesday evening near the Brenke Fish Ladder in Lansing. Witnesses reported a kayak and paddle were spotted floating down the river. Boats and divers were called to search the river.

"Given the water level and the speed the river is traveling right now, we knew this was going to be a long, intensive operation," fire department spokesman Steve Mazurek said.

Along the Paw Paw River, about hundred miles west of Lansing, rescuers were searching for another kayaker this week after two of the kayaks capsized after hitting a log in the river.

"One guy was able to get his kayak through the logjam and made his way to shore," said Dan Jones the Chief of the Watervliet Fire Department told WNDU-TV, "The other one swam to shore and the third one is still missing."

Searching the Paw Paw River

Officials warned that this not the time to on the Paw Paw River, because of the recent flooding.
"With the river being out of its banks there's a lot of entanglements and the channel that has the highest flow in it is pretty narrow," said Jones. "Stay out unless you're very well experienced," said Jones. "If you do wander into the waters, by all means, wear a life jacket it makes you much easier to find."

Kaitlyn Greene

While in Indiana earlier this week, state trooper Kaitlyn Greene was patrolling flooded areas when she was frantically waved down by the wife of a kayaker who was nearly submerged underwater and clinging to a metal culvert pipe. They had been kayaking in a flooded field when he and his kayak was swept into the culvert. He was able to grab the top of the pipe before being sucked underwater, keeping his head and arms above water.

Greene, a member of the local water rescue team was able to secure her throw bag rope under the man's armpits and around his back and with the help of two passing motorists pull the boater to safety.
"As bad as it sounds,” she told the Dubois County Herald, “Ninety-nine percent of what I do is evidence and body recoveries. It was refreshing to actually be able to do a rescue and he got to go home.”

So the best advice we can give when it comes to paddling in flood waters is: DON'T!
It's pretty simple advice but as one can see from the stories above, not always taken.
Flood waters are just very unpredictable. Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm related hazard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water.
Most people underestimate the force and power of water. A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It only takes a foot of rushing water to sweep away a small car, while 2-feet of rushing water can wash away most vehicles along with the road under it.

So why would you even consider boating in a river, creek or any other body of water is at or above flood stage? You are not only risking your life but the lives of search and rescue crews, not to mention the possibility of arrest and fines if law officials issue orders banning all nonofficial watercraft in the flooded areas.

NRS listed eight dangers in flood stage boating in their web page article entitled Riding the Flood, that should always be considered before paddling in inundate waters

• Debris in the water. The rising water pulls streamside debris into the flow. Banks get undercut and trees, fence posts and structures fall into the water. You can find yourself sharing the run with all sorts of foreign objects.
• Strainers. Trees and logs get lodged and create severe hazards. Water flows through and around them; you and your boat won’t. In larger streams, you may be able to avoid them. In a smaller stream, a strainer can completely block it. Undercut rocks and boulder sieves are also severe entrapment hazards that can be created or accentuated by high water.
• Low head dams. A low head or “run of the river” dam is used to raise the level of a stream. Water flows over the lip of the dam and creates a perfect reversal on the downstream side that can go from difficult to impossible to get out of. They are dangerous at any flow, but can be particularly strong at high flows.
• Bridge abutments. They can catch debris and even block off the channel. Even without debris catch, they kick off big swirling side-curling waves.
• Turbid water. The muddy flow hides hazards that would normally be visible.
• Water out of its banks. The stream can flow out into the surrounding countryside, taking you into trees, brush, fences and other entrapment obstacles.
• Cold water. Especially in the spring, cold water significantly increases the risk of hypothermia.
• Fast current. Normally, the higher the water, the faster it is flowing. Things happen fast, you have much less time to react to conditions.