Daring helicopter rescue avoided when dam closed
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While the most obvious course of action was to simply close the doors of the nearby dam, thereby stopping the potentially deadly water, rescuers could find no one to close the flood gates since no dam personnel were at the site. Time then became of the essence as rescuers feared the tiny outcropping of rock that served as an island of last resort would soon end up being washed under the raging water.
It was at that point, a long-shot plan was devised. Unable to get a boat into the rapidly moving water, a rescue by air was considered. The attempted rescue — using a volunteer who dangerously dangled on a line below a sheriff’s department helicopter — was called off due to its chance for disaster. The chopper landed a couple of hundred yards from the trapped tourists on an outcropping of rocks, ready in case the worst happened. Fortunately, the water stabilized and did not consume the small island.
“Lt. John Black is an experienced pilot who did a lot of extractions and things of that nature under combat conditions in Vietnam,” said Sheriff Jackie Matheny.
“With that said, it was still a scary situation, especially had they attempted a landing in that small of an area,” Matheny continued.
The entire incident unfolded before scores of onlookers and would-be rescue personnel who stood in the parking lot of the old mill area located near the dam.
The danger subsided as quickly as it began when the flood gates were closed an hour into the situation. The two were evacuated on foot as the water receded. The stranded tourists, Vonnie Tracht of Graysville and Amaury Kintz of Cookeville, suffered no injuries. Their dog was also rescued.
However, according to one witness, it was fortunate no one was killed.
“There needs to be a warning,” said Sherry Ferrell of Murfreesboro, who was in the gorge with her family when the flood gates were opened. “We didn’t hear a siren or anything. The water just suddenly came up.”
Ferrell said her family had been enjoying the gorge with another Murfreesboro family. She had just begun to leave the gorge when she looked back to see her fellow hikers had been besieged by the wall of water. The tourists who remained trapped on the island, Ferrell said, were on the opposite side of the gorge and had come over from the White County side.
“The woman was able to get her kids out but then she was trapped. I was afraid she was going to drown,” Ferrell said. “Her husband had been a life guard for about 20 years and was able to get her out. If he hadn’t been there, it would have been a tragedy. There’s a lot of people who hike down here. There needs to be a better warning system so people will know to get out.”
According to park ranger Joe Moore, the gates of the dam had actually been open most of the day given the heavy recent rains. It was later in the afternoon when the gates were opened fully that the water began to rise at a greater rate.
Regardless, Moore said lights were flashing within the gorge to warn people that water was being released. Also, Moore pointed out there are signs at the entrances to the gorge, warning tourist to beware when the lights are flashing.
“I think they were assuming no one would be in the gorge since it was already somewhat flooded down there because the gates had been partially opened,” said Moore, noting the gates had been opened on site, with the operator leaving the area after opening the gates. “The sirens sound in the gorge 20 minutes before the flood gates open and the lights start flashing. You can pretty well see the lights at all points down in the gorge.”
Moore said this is the most dangerous situation he has seen, although there have been people caught unaware before, further down in the gorge in the area known as the worm hole. However, contrary to popular belief, Moore said, water does not rush downstream as a huge wall, but instead, the water level grows gradually downstream. Moore said tourists should stay out of the gorge when the lights are flashing and exit immediately if the lights go on while they are in the gorge.