A police officer and a firefighter speak to man and woman that were rescued by the marine unit of the LFD. (DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press)
A pair of kayakers marooned by fast-moving waters in a north London creek had to be rescued by emergency crews Sunday afternoon – a cautionary tale for people attempting to venture out on swollen rivers and streams, one veteran firefighter says.
The experienced kayakers – a man and a woman – were paddling on the creek south of Sunningdale Road when the woman said she looked back and water entered her kayak.
The kayak capsized in the creek, swollen with runoff from heavy rain.
The man and woman were able to get to a small island in the middle of the creek. They weren’t able to continue their journey because of the strong current, so they called 911.
London firefighters located the stranded kayakers, paddled a specialized long boat called a rapid deployment craft to the island, and took the pair to safety.
Both were in stable condition and were checked over by paramedics at the scene, London fire captain Dave Varga said.
Medway Creek is usually a free-flowing, relatively shallow body of water, Varga said.
But the recent rainfall – above what’s typical for April and May – has made it more like a river, he said.
“With the water being this high, anything can happen, they’re treacherous conditions,” he said.
“Check your water conditions and know where you’re going to be boating. . . . At this point it’s unwise to be on the water when the water is this high.”
The London area was hit with 66 millimetres of rain in the first half of May alone. The average precipitation for the entire month is 90 millimetres.
In April, the London area was drenched by nearly 33 per cent more precipitation than normal.
Water levels and water flow in the Medway area reached a six-day high Sunday, according to reports from the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.
Members of the London Fire Department’s marine unit rescued a man and woman from an island in the middle of Medway Creek after they falling out of their kayaks London on Sunday. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)
Source: London firefighters rescue stranded kayakers | London Free Press
