March 28, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Members of the DeKalb County Swiftwater Rescue Task Force were summoned into action only a half hour after their latest training exercise Saturday afternoon when a group of kayakers got caught in swift creek water on Smith Fork near Temperance Hall.
Six people were reportedly in the group with five kayaks. Two of the vessels reportedly overturned but the three people on board, two adults and a youngster, were able to climb onto a log jam of debris, tree limbs, etc. which had formed in the creek. Members of the Swiftwater Rescue team tied off a rope and traversed the rapidly flowing creek water to reach them. They were all brought safely out of harms way. The task force’s life raft was put in the creek nearby but did not have to be deployed during the rescue effort.
Three other kayakers in the group further downstream were able to get to the creek bank safely from their vessels. None were injured and all were wearing life jackets.
Members of the TWRA, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb EMS were also on the scene along with the Swiftwater Rescue Task Force.