Search continues for second person missing on Buffalo River

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The search continues Thursday morning for an individual missing from a canoe on the Buffalo River. According to Public Information Officer Caven Clark, the incident occurred when a group of four men in four canoes decided to tackle the flood waters Wednesday morning above Kyles. Two canoes managed to traverse the distance safely but two overturned. The missing individual was last reported in the water across from the launch site at Kyles and has not been seen since.

At approximately 11:45 Wednesday morning notification was received by Buffalo National River dispatch of two persons who were in danger in the park’s Upper District near Kyles Landing in Newton County (between Ponca and Erbie). One was reported safe on an upstream island, but without means of reaching either shore. The other was in the river downstream from Kyles Landing.

National Park Service rangers responded to the area and conducted a “hasty” search by land on both sides of the river to quickly attempt to locate the stranded individuals.

At about 2:30 Wednesday afternoon one Zodiac, one raft, and two kayaks were launched from Steel Creek to conduct a systematic search. In addition to the National Park Service Rangers and Buffalo National River Search & Rescue Team, other assistance was received from a team of AmeriCorps workers, Harrison Swift Water Rescue, and the Newton County Sheriff’s Department.

Shortly after, at 3:00, the individual upstream from Kyles Landing was located on a small island, as reported, and apart from being cold was in good condition. The search for the other individual continued until about 6 p.m. and resumed Thursday morning.

While river levels are currently dropping slightly, the overall conditions for the search remain hampered by high, fast, and turbid water. Conditions are not anticipated to improve in spite of the predicted gap in rainfall and very heavy rains are still expected beginning Friday.

Officials announced yesterday, in anticipation of a significant flood event, Buffalo National River personnel are taking precautionary steps towards insuring visitor safety and minimizing damage to park infrastructure. By Friday, many areas including Tyler Bend Campground, will be closed until the flood abates. The process of shutting off utilities in campsites has already begun in selected areas.

The Steel Creek concert featuring National Park Radio, rescheduled after last weekend’s inclement weather for this Saturday, has been postponed until further notice.

Visitors are asked to exercise extreme caution in all areas near the river. Water crossings such as those at Rush, Webb Branch, Erbie, and others will likely become unusable, possibly trapping visitors on the “wrong” side. Even the Lost Valley Trail should be avoided, given the past history of flash floods in that area.

The beautiful weather on Tuesday and a possible break between the storms on Thursday should not lull visitors into hazardous situations. Float trips are not recommended as the Buffalo River is already running at high stages and will very likely be in flood stage soon.

Basic safety rules apply: if the water is high, brown, and carrying debris, it is not safe for any recreational activity. Responding to a likely flood event is never taken lightly and even with what seems like a lot of recent experience, each flood even brings with it a different array of issues. Please be safe, think twice before attempting water crossings, and report any accidents to the park’s dispatch at 888/692-1162. For general questions regarding closures of campgrounds, please call the Tyler Bend Visitor Center at 870/439-2502 or Buffalo Point at 870/449-4311.

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