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KCK woman describes escaping creek after being swept away by flood

KCK woman describes escaping creek after being swept away by flood

Yahoo2 days ago
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A woman living along a creek in a campsite that flooded early Thursday morning described the harrowing experience as she, her boyfriend and her dog were washed downstream.
Kansas City, Kansas firefighters did about 40 rescues that morning, mostly of people who had driven into rising water. They were also called to 65th Street and State Avenue, but never were able to find the woman, 61, in the heavily wooded ravine. She was downstream, holding on to a tree for dear life.
Woman hangs onto tree after being swept away by floodwater in Kansas City, Kansas
The couple built a deck for themselves and their pet Tinker Bell a few feet above the creek which usually is just rocks and about three inches of water.
Late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, the area got upwards of 10 inches of rain and that tiny creek started rising.
'We looked up and it was up to the top and I said 'What are we going to do? We got to get out of here,'' said the woman who declined to give her name.
However, there was no time.
'It was still coming really fast. Logs and trees were coming by and it was getting higher and higher,' she said.
The woman tried to hold on to a tree where the deck used to be. She showed us Friday the campsite, complete with a mattress, a couch, a generator and a TV that was washed away and scattered along the creek.
'He was behind me and he said, 'I can't hold on any longer.' So I said, 'Just hold on to me,' and he did as long as he could and then he was gone and I thought he was gone, gone.'
In the fast rushing water, she lost her grip, too.
'And it took me away and I was up and down and trying everything I could to keep my head above water,' she described.
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She lost her shoes and pants she was wearing in the flood. Somewhere downstream.
The 61-year-old was able to grasp a tree branch and climb as high as she could, where she screamed for help that never came.
'This is from holding on to the tree for three hours,' the woman said in a hoarse voice, showing numerous scrapes and red marks.
She didn't realize that at about 4 a.m. somewhere upstream, her boyfriend had gotten out and managed to call 911.
Firefighters searched for more than three hours until daylight came, floodwaters receded and the woman was able to climb down.
'I didn't know where I was, but I just looked to where I saw the top of a building and some lights and I thought there's got to be civilization there,' she said.
She'd soon find out, using a good Samaritan's phone, that thankfully, her boyfriend and Tinker Bell also made it out.
'We have nothing but we are alive,' she said.
Businesses in Kansas City, Kansas working to recover after recent flooding
After nearly drowning in what had been three inches of water, she offers this advice.
'If it starts raining hard and coming down really fast, get away from it as soon as possible because it's going to be high faster than you could ever imagine.
With that campsite washed out, they say they've given up the outdoor life along the creek. The couple is currently staying in a hotel.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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