Hikers who defied Isaias flood warnings had to be rescued, NC searchers say
The relentless rain associated with Hurricane Isaias didn’t stop some hikers from venturing onto trails and greenways in North Carolina, leading to life-threatening predicaments, officials say.
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Rescues were reported in multiple counties on Saturday, including people found in floodwaters, clinging to a piece of a dock along the Freedom Trail Greenway in Burke County, officials say.
Three 911 calls were received Saturday in Avery County at the height of the storm, one involving a hiker who was in danger of being swept away by a rising creek, according to the Linville-Central Rescue Squad in Newland.
“Just before 7 p.m. we were alerted to a hiker on Profile Trail who had slipped and fallen into the water and was clinging to a tree,” according to the rescue squad. “It’s a small creek, but 3.5 to 4 inches of rain made it substantially bigger.”
The woman had pulled herself back up the creek bank by the time rescuers arrived, and she was escorted her back to her car, officials said.
“The second call, just before 10 p.m., was for two hikers and a dog who had lost the trail due to high water levels in the Harper’s Creek wilderness area,” according to squad Chief Robert Calloway.
“The trail in both directions was covered in water about 18 inches deep. Due to the high water, the crew had a 5.7-mile round trip to find the hikers and return them to a parking lot. The crew got back to their vehicles at 2:30 a.m.”
Had the man and woman been left on the trail overnight, they likely would have developed hypothermia, he said.
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The remnants of Hurricane Isaias brought nearly 10 inches of rain to parts of North Carolina on Saturday, creating flash floods, landslides and tornados.
News of wilderness rescues during the chaos ignited widespread criticism of the hikers on social media, including 1,600 reactions and comments on the Linville-Central Rescue Squad’s Facebook post.
“I would’ve died of embarrassment before they could’ve ever rescued me,” Rick Drummond wrote on the squad’s Facebook page.
“Honestly, and it’s soooooo selfish to do something like this when we knew the weather would be dangerous,” Kalen Miller posted.
“I’m glad I wasn’t the only one thinking this. People knew about this storm in plenty of time. Why in the world would they be hiking in that type of weather? I just don’t get it,” Danielle Dixon Gillikin said.
Linville-Central Rescue is in Newland, about a 110-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.
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