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Log inStorms swell Saco River, sinking boaters' plans
Storms swell Saco River, sinking boaters' plans
by Outspoken on Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:12 am
Storms swell Saco River, sinking boaters' plans
The river rises to unsafe levels, floods beaches and brings a warning to stay off the water.
By DENNIS HOEY
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
FRYEBURG — Between July 4 and the end of August, the Saco River typically flows gently through Maine towns, attracting thousands of people who float down the shallow river on inner tubes, paddle a canoe or set up camp on a sandy beach.
Because of the weather, that peaceful scene has changed this summer.
Last Sunday, authorities asked hundreds of canoeists and campers to evacuate the Saco or face the threat of rising water from severe thunderstorms in northern New Hampshire – the source of the river.
Authorities said five canoes capsized Sunday, sending 10 people into the river. One person was reported missing but was found later in good condition.
Though a few experienced paddlers took to the river Tuesday, canoe rental companies and authorities were urging people to stay off the water until river levels subside.
Allen Russell, who owns Saco River Canoe, rented 100 canoes last weekend. All of his clients made it back safely after police, game wardens and others urged people to get off the river.
By Sunday afternoon, the river had risen six feet above its normal level, Russell said.
"Every canoe rental company was in the same situation we were," Russell said. "But it is what it is … you can’t control Mother Nature."
The rainy summer has made that scene play out across northern New England, as rivers that normally are cool retreats become anything but.
In the past two weeks, at least four people have been swept off their feet in New Hampshire rivers, with three drowning after they were dragged down by the current.
"We’re at spring levels, and people are underestimating the strength of the current," New Hampshire Fish and Game Maj. Tim Acerno said Tuesday.
He commented as Fish and Game officers reported finding the body of a Massachusetts man who slipped into the Swift River on Sunday.
Also on Tuesday, a man was swept downstream in the Merrimack River in Manchester but made it to shore.
Conditions on the Saco River started to change about two weeks ago, as thunderstorm after thunderstorm pounded the region, pouring water into lakes, rivers and ponds.
The storms intensified last weekend, forcing authorities to evacuate the Saco River during what canoe rental companies consider their peak season.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=203377&ac=PHnws
The river rises to unsafe levels, floods beaches and brings a warning to stay off the water.
By DENNIS HOEY
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
FRYEBURG — Between July 4 and the end of August, the Saco River typically flows gently through Maine towns, attracting thousands of people who float down the shallow river on inner tubes, paddle a canoe or set up camp on a sandy beach.
Because of the weather, that peaceful scene has changed this summer.
Last Sunday, authorities asked hundreds of canoeists and campers to evacuate the Saco or face the threat of rising water from severe thunderstorms in northern New Hampshire – the source of the river.
Authorities said five canoes capsized Sunday, sending 10 people into the river. One person was reported missing but was found later in good condition.
Though a few experienced paddlers took to the river Tuesday, canoe rental companies and authorities were urging people to stay off the water until river levels subside.
Allen Russell, who owns Saco River Canoe, rented 100 canoes last weekend. All of his clients made it back safely after police, game wardens and others urged people to get off the river.
By Sunday afternoon, the river had risen six feet above its normal level, Russell said.
"Every canoe rental company was in the same situation we were," Russell said. "But it is what it is … you can’t control Mother Nature."
The rainy summer has made that scene play out across northern New England, as rivers that normally are cool retreats become anything but.
In the past two weeks, at least four people have been swept off their feet in New Hampshire rivers, with three drowning after they were dragged down by the current.
"We’re at spring levels, and people are underestimating the strength of the current," New Hampshire Fish and Game Maj. Tim Acerno said Tuesday.
He commented as Fish and Game officers reported finding the body of a Massachusetts man who slipped into the Swift River on Sunday.
Also on Tuesday, a man was swept downstream in the Merrimack River in Manchester but made it to shore.
Conditions on the Saco River started to change about two weeks ago, as thunderstorm after thunderstorm pounded the region, pouring water into lakes, rivers and ponds.
The storms intensified last weekend, forcing authorities to evacuate the Saco River during what canoe rental companies consider their peak season.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=203377&ac=PHnws
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
