Kayaker gets stuck in tree after flipping in flooded creek, Mississippi officials say
A kayaker trapped in a tree hanging over a flooded Mississippi creek was rescued Sunday, officials say.
He and another person were kayaking in swift water on the Tuxachainie Creek when they overturned, according to Harrison County Fire Rescue.
Officials told WXXV that the man swam to a tree and climbed it to get out of the water. He was stranded there for more than an hour, WLOX reports.
The second kayaker was able to make it back to shore and get help, Harrison County Fire Rescue says.
The Biloxi Fire Department’s swift water rescue team responded and an off-duty firefighter and his son were able to find where the man was trapped, officials say.
Crews then pulled the man out of the tree.
The rescue comes as tropical storm Claudette dumped heavy rain on Mississippi over the weekend. Most rivers in southern Mississippi saw minor flooding that had started to recede by Sunday, the Sun Herald reported.
Claudette moved out of the state on Saturday. On Monday, it pulled off the North Carolina coast and into the Atlantic. It’s expected to continue moving away from the U.S. coast and should “dissipate late Tuesday night,” the National Hurricane Center says.
Fire officials have not released any additional information about the Sunday rescue.
