Stay out of the water

Risky behaviors contribute to dangers of flooding

Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding area was pummeled by rain over the weekend. And then more rain. And more.

The forecasters warned us all about the high percentages for massive amounts of rain, but they’ve been wrong before, right? This time, they weren’t. Across the area, rain totals measured in the ball- park of 8 inches, more in some places, less in others. But what nobody questioned was the ground’s incapacity to soak in more water. That meant trickling streams became fast-running creeks, and creeks became gushing rivers. Low-level spots where rain water typically flows easily away were deluged with excess, expanding at times into homes and businesses.

Water in our neck of the woods, thanks to the terrain, doesn’t linger in one spot for long. That’s both a blessing and curse. Its quick disappearance can let cleanup efforts get started fast, but its rapid movement presents dangers that plenty — and we mean plenty — of people simply ignore or do not adequately comprehend.

Encouraged by the opportunities for social media stardom, some kayaked and some floated down flooded streets in inflated pool toys. Some drivers whipped out their smartphones to record their drives through high water.

Oh, yes, it was all in good fun. Just imagine the video. Maybe it will go viral!

Well, someone’s got to rain on this parade. Everybody has the power to save a life, namely his own, by not voluntarily engaging in extraordinarily risky behavior. And it’s especially poor judgment to get into floodwater in pursuit of a video. What good is documenting a crazy ride down a swollen creek if you’re not alive to watch it? What good is that momentary fame of a viral video if earning it means sacrificing one’s life?

In Fayetteville, so many got a chuckle out of various videos of a guy floating in a large “rubber ducky” inflated toy.

In Eureka Springs, such adventures turned tragic. Authorities say a 24-yearold woman jumped into rain-swollen Leatherwood Creek with a large “inner tube” float. One witness said a couple of her friends were recording video of her daredevil act. The woman vanished under a bridge. The next place anyone saw her was about a half-mile downstream nearly 12 hours later. Rescuers recovered her body.

Others died in the region’s flood, including a 10-year-old girl in Springdale who likely just gave in to the unquenchable curiosity of a child by climbing a fence along with her 9-year-old brother. Floodwater was pouring by on the other side of that fence. They swept her away.

A woman’s vehicle careened off a low-water bridge near Hindsville in Madison. The woman told police the current swept her children, a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl, away before she could save them. Searchers found the boy’s body Monday but, at the time of this writing, the search for the girl continued.

Personnel from highway and road departments, law enforcement agencies and fire departments were out in the midst of storms and in the aftermath, setting up barricades to warn people away from dangerous areas. Incredibly, several rescues involved people who drove around or through barricades.

It is now time for families and friends of those who died to mourn, and we extend our sympathies. Sometimes, accidents cannot be avoided.

But now, while the deaths and the destructive powers of water are fresh on the minds of everyone in the region, there is a lesson to take away from all this. Never voluntarily get into floodwater. Unseen dangers lurk just beneath the surface. The force of the water are far stronger than most people realize. It takes only inches of water to make a car or truck buoyant enough to simply flow along with the water.

Of course, some people like to take risks, to live on the edge. But how many rescuers had to put their lives at risk to save those who did not heed repeated warnings about the dangers of floodwater?

We’re so thankful to have in all our communities police officers and firefighters ready to respond. We’re glad we haven’t heard that any of those brave souls were injured or killed. Why endanger them by forcing a rescue operation simply to get a great video or have a few minutes of “fun” on a goofy inflated toy? What good is a video if all it does is document the last moments of your life?

Hopefully, it will be a long time before the region sees flooding like it did this weekend, but it will come again one day. All who survived this weekend should count their blessings and remember the dangers. The best way to save a life from the dangers of floodwater is to avoid it.

Not enough people heeded that advice last weekend.