Fears for 73 people after floods

[twisteroo]

0

I just can't imagine.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37637416/ns/...?GT1=43001

CADDO GAP, Ark. - At least 16 people were killed while relatives of more than 70 people contacted authorities to say they could be missing after floodwaters tore through a campground packed with vacationing families Friday, carrying away tents and overturning RVs as campers slept.

Heavy rains caused the normally quiet Caddo and Little Missouri rivers to climb out of their banks during the night. The water rose at a rate of up to a foot every seven-and-a-half minutes.

Around dawn, floodwaters barreled through the Albert Pike Recreation Area, a 54-unit campground in the Ouachita National Forest that was packed with vacationing families.
The raging torrent poured through the valley with such force that it peeled asphalt off roads and bark off trees. Cabins dotting the river banks were severely damaged. Mobile homes lay on their sides.

At least two dozen people were hospitalized. Authorities rescued dozens more before suspending their search at nightfall Friday. Crews on helicopters, canoes, ATVs and horses would resume at daybreak Saturday, said Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler.

A call center set up for people to report loved ones who may be missing at the campground received inquiries about 73 people Friday, said Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Chad Stover.

"We haven't confirmed if they were at the campsite, but people have called because they believe a loved one may have been there and they can't locate them," Stover said late Friday. "As we begin search and rescue operations tomorrow morning, it will give us a better idea of how many people we may be looking for.

"And we still consider it a search and rescue operation for a little while longer."