10/31/2007

By John Weiss
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

LA CRESCENT, Minn. -- The deluge of volunteers following the Aug. 18-19 floods in Fillmore, Winona and Houston counties was one of the things that went right.

Not having enough safety equipment for them was something that went wrong.
Fourteen city and county officials from flooded areas spoke Tuesday at a meeting of the Southeast Minnesota League of Municipalities in La Crescent, Minn., to let others know what to expect and what to do to improve their preparedness for such an emergency.

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Emergency crews from almost 10 agencies saturated the area around Turtle Creek in eastern Rock County Friday afternoon, searching for a Delavan man stranded in higher-than-normal water.

After at least 90 minutes, 35-year-old James A. Hayden was pulled breathing but unconscious from the swiftly moving creek in Bradford Township near Highway 140. He was flown to Rockford Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in good condition late that night.

Hayden called 911 on his cell phone just before 4 p.m. once his inflatable six-by-three-foot raft began failing just west of the Walworth County line, said Rock County Sheriff Sgt. Ken Marquardt.

Hayden guessed he was near Tiffany, so the Turtle and Clinton fire departments arrived and placed a boat in that location. Not finding him, searchers expanded their search to the east.

Mike Dieckhoff, a warden for the DNR, also tracked the man on foot as he floated about 3.5 to four miles along the curvy creek but eventually had to seek medical attention for dehydration and heat exhaustion, Marquardt said, adding Dieckhoff was listed in good condition late Friday.

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It would take Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials eight hours to find the Peacon family.
Lucky for them, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue had an airboat for just such emergencies, said Miami-Dade Fire Lt. Eddy Ballaster.

''This could have been a very serious situation,'' he said.

Here's what happened:
Earlier in the day, Jeff and John Peacon, both brothers from south Miami-Dade, embarked on a trip to the Everglades aboard their own airboat. In all, eight people -- five adults and three children, ages 17, 10 and 9 -- climbed aboard for the outing.

At some point during the trip, the airboat's engine failed, leaving the family stranded in the vast and remote Everglades. It's unclear their precise location.

They immediately contacted authorities with a cellphone, prompting Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to use their rescue airboat, said Ballaster.

Still, it would take rescue workers nearly eight hours to locate the disabled airboat, said Ballaster, who said the family was found at about 10 p.m.

Had the search effort by airboat failed, rescue workers were prepared to send a helicopter, said Ballaster.

Efforts to reach the family late Saturday were unsuccessful.