Campers Rescued After Being Stranded A Week By Flooded Escambia River

January 30, 2010

Two campers cut off by a rising Escambia River near Molino were rescued Saturday morning — a week after they were stranded.

campers.jpgEugene Beaudry said he and his girlfriend, Sue Lahti had been camping from their Chevrolet S10, stranded at the end of Cotton Lake Road for a week. When the Escambia River rises, the dirt road to the boat launch floods, preventing vehicular access.

“We had been stranded there for seven days. We planned to take off this morning, but she (the river) began to come up fast,” Beaudry said. “That steady rain last night really caused her to come up fast, and we got worried and decided to get help. That rain, she really come down steady last night.”

“We ran out of gas and most of our food last night,” he told NorthEscambia.com just after being rescued Saturday morning.

Beaudry and Lahti did not have a boat, just their Chevy, a small tent and their supplies. “We were prepared and had planned to stay awhile, but that rain, she changed that,” he said.

Members of the Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue used a couple of small boats to ferry Beaudry, Lahti and some of the their supplies back to the high and dry side of Cotton Lake Road about noon Saturday.  As for the Chevrolet pickup — it will be stuck at the boat launch until the river eventually drops. Family members picked up the two campers, headed for a drier night — indoors.

Comments

11 Responses to “Campers Rescued After Being Stranded A Week By Flooded Escambia River”

  1. Thankful on February 3rd, 2010 3:39 pm

    I like to say things like this shouldn’t happen, but they do, all to often. Hine sight is fortunate thing, if you live to enjoy it. That feeling of I wish I hadn’t done that. But I would have to say—- Cotton Lake is not exactly like being stranded in the wilderness, it’s like, what? a two mile walk to the main highway. How do you get stranded there for a week —– unless—- you want to be!!!!

  2. whitepunknotondope on February 3rd, 2010 12:34 am

    Why does Beaudry keep calling rain “she”?

    Does he call thunder “he”?

  3. bill on February 2nd, 2010 11:23 am

    Now they are wonderind what a Nimrod is.

  4. mrs thomas on February 1st, 2010 11:00 am

    Your kiddin right! You nimrods live in the south and dont know what a skeeter is!! LOL!!

  5. B on February 1st, 2010 9:40 am

    seriously..did they not notice the river was beyond flood stage already ??? Come on now

  6. Rick on January 31st, 2010 9:08 am

    Thanks for the smile y’all! Coffee from the worm can!!!!! What’s a skeeter!!!!! And under the truck!!!!!!! Good stuff! hahaha

  7. T on January 31st, 2010 8:53 am

    I remember camping one time with some buddies when we we’re teenagers.Of course there was alot of beer involved. Everthing was going fine till it was time to go to sleep thats when the skeeters decided to attack, they were so bad we had to pull our sleeping bags over our heads this was during summer vacation so just imagine how hot it was.Well about that time it started to rain,not just a little a lot ,no tent we were ruffing it. We decided to pile up in the truck.To late Charles had already beat us to it earlier in the evening and had gotten so comfortable he pulled his shoes off.Better to take our chances in the rain than deal with that funk.No place left to go but under the truck,not to bad as long as you laid perfectly still ,if you didnt you would knock dirt in your eyes.About the time we finally dosed off ,you guessed it the skeeters found us all over again.We laughed so much that night our stomachs hurt the next day.Well I quit drinking years ago,haven’t done alot of camping either but its funny how such a miserable night can be remembered so fondly.

  8. bill on January 30th, 2010 10:07 pm

    City slicker,

    park that monster and learn how to live. LOL

  9. city slicker on January 30th, 2010 9:24 pm

    Naw….camping is piling up in my 40 foot diesel pusher with the blo-cool set to max. Whats a skeeter?

  10. bill on January 30th, 2010 8:01 pm

    Rick,
    Ain’t nothing like setting round a campfire, eaten Bennie weenies, drinking coffee from the worm can, cause that’s all you had, fight-en skeeters with that whipper will off in the distance, sleeping on the cold hard ground. Now that’s live my friend.

  11. Rick on January 30th, 2010 6:32 pm

    Were they camping until a week ago and then got stranded….. continued to camp ,but were not worried until the rains Friday night ? And they would have camped longer if the river hadn’t risen? Now that’s camping!!!!