Woman swept away by swollen river

HAMILTON — Joint response efforts by fire, police, sheriff and other rescue personnel resulted in a woman being rescued near the Buttahatchee River in Hamilton less than an hour after 9-1-1 was called with “reports a female had been swept away by the current.”
HPD Assistant Chief Matt McCracken said on Wednesday morning a call went out at 9:21 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, that someone had possibly fallen into the river. He said they were not sure at that point, but units were dispatched.
“They got on scene and talked to witnesses and started their ground searches. We made contact with the Hamilton Police Department, because they have a drone with FLIR capabilities (body heat recognition), so they could get it on site and get it in the air.
“We ended up with three fire department apparatus and 12 firefighters responding to the incident.”
McCracken said during the ground search, police and fire crews heard the woman screaming for help about 150 yards from the Indian Mound area where they had started their search.
HPD posted on Facebook the lady was located at 10:06 p.m., less than an hour after the initial call, in a wooded area near the river. They noted their officers had arrived on scene just three minutes after dispatch and made contact with the 9-1-1 caller, who reported the woman had slipped and fallen into the river and was quickly swept downstream.
HPD also mentioned the lady had sustained an apparent minor injury.
“They were able to help the lady walk out on her own,” McCracken said. “She was assessed on scene by Marion County EMS and transported to North Mississippi Medical Center-Hamilton for further evaluation.”
HPD also noted, “We are grateful for the strong partnerships we share with local public safety agencies, especially between HFD and HPD. Thank you to Bear Creek Police Department for responding with their UAV and to Winfield PD’s Assistant Chief (Gary Hamlett) for offering assistance. Teamwork made all the difference tonight, and we are incredibly thankful for this outcome, as it could have been much worse.”
McCracken stated the lady was “extremely fortunate,” noting how high the river was at that time and how river banks can give way underneath someone unexpectedly.
According to reports, after a heavy rain fall, the Buttahatchee River peaked at 9:15 p.m. on June 17 with a height of 7.83 feet. At that time, the water flow was being discharged at 3,340 cubic feet per second.
McCracken also advised caution about walking alongside the river at any time.
“But specially after the torrential rainfall we had yesterday in such a very brief amount of time,” he noted. “Yesterday, we had an inch total. But over the last couple of days, we have had another couple of inches of rain--which causes the river to be up.
“And especially at night, we have to use extreme caution. We should always be careful when we are in and around bodies of water. We would always advocate to have some type of personal flotation device when we are around bodies of water to help us be more safe.”
McCracken noted he was not on scene at the river himself, as he was already gearing up and starting preparations for day two, when he would be taking command of the search, if it needed to be continued.
“We always have to work on the long haul,” he said. “You can’t devote your resources all at once. You have to save some for the next operational period.”
HPD also noted after they received the initial call, additional resources were immediately activated, including supervisors from the fire and police departments, with both chiefs meeting and beginning to coordinate efforts at the scene.
The Marion County Emergency Management Agency was also activated. HPD noted officers and deputies also checked nearby ridges and canoe/kayak landings.
Not long after the command center was set up on-site, HPD noted ground units reported hearing the woman calling for help, with the information being relayed to command and units redirected to the area where the woman was located.