Albert Pike Recreation Area
In the day that we live, there have been great advancements in technology. Those advancements have made a great many things possible, including advance warning of what nature is up to. A great many lives have been saved because of these warnings. No one can ever be completely prepared for some of the weather in the Arkansas/Oklahoma area, but the National Weather Service warnings do help. Even though they do their best to warn us in advance of coming storms, some things can not be prevented. That is what happened at the Albert Pike Recreational Area, near Caddo Gap, AR, on the morning of June 11. Forecasters issued flash flood warnings around 2:00 AM, afraid that the Caddo and Little Missouri Rivers would be unable to contain the six inches of rain that fell overnight. They were correct in that assessment and around dawn on Friday morning, the waters roared through the 54-unit campground, catching everyone off guard. As you can see from the image on the left and the ones at the bottom of this post, the destruction was tremndeous.
Garland County Mounted Patrol
There are several reasons the area is popular, chief among them it’s remoteness. The warnings that were issued were unheeeded because they were unheard by the campers. Most were asleep and in any event, radio reception in the area is limited. At the last count, 16 people are known dead and many more are missing, dozens by some counts. Hopefully, all of those who are missing or unaccounted for will be found alive and well, but authorities have been warning that the death toll is likely to go much higher.
The search and rescue operation is in full swing and equipment and supplies are being sent in by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and other agencies. One of the items being sent is satellite phones, to help with communication in the isolated area. One thing that is making the operation more difficult is the fact that the campground registry was washed away in the flood. The registry is signed by everyone who enters the campground and takes a camp spot. With it gone, there is no way to ascertain exactly how many people were on the grounds and who they were. At this time, workers on horseback and ATVs and in canoes are scouring the area for survivors. I hope and pray that the rest of the news coming out of the area is all good.
All photos are from The Associated Press.
I was stunned when I saw this story. EVERYTHING was swept away so I read they can’t identify some of these people. How horrible!
My heart breaks for everyone waiting for news….