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Summer/Fall 1999 |
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Even the greenest river guide in training knows the uncertainty and threat of a rising river. One of the first things taught about rescue and recovery operations is to never endanger the lives of rescuers. Another principle in emergency situations is that the victim’s family or acquaintances are always comforted and given a role in the rescue, but under no circumstances are they involved in decision-making. The emotional state of family members in such trying times is often clouded by the stress. In the case of the Portadam recovery attempt, all of these rules were violated. As I watched that rainy day at Raven Chute, I talked to some of the people I used to work with in search and rescue operations. Through these conversations, it became clear what caused this rescue to spin out of control. One of them said, "Look Buzz, when Strom says we should go, we go." In this case, the father of the victim enlisted the help of his congressman, who called Strom Thurmond, who used his influence to turn Portadam loose. In the process, the basic tenets of search and rescue were obscured. In the aftermath, most people thought the recovery question was settled, and the river was going up and down like a yo-yo from occasional thunderstorms. While this weather pattern persisted, there was no doubt in the minds of reasonable people that recovery operations had to wait for the river to drop. However, the politicians did not view this scenario as an option. Almost a month had passed since Rachel drowned. Now, the Forest Service and members of the Swift Water Rescue Team were in Washington trying to explain to Representative Holden and Senator Thurmond why further attempts to recover Rachel Trois’ body were on hold. Senator Thurmond refused to yield; his position was that recovery attempts should press forward. Within days of the Portadam attempt, the operation had attracted media from all over the country including inquiries from CBS Evening News, the Today Show and the L. A. Times. We even had one call from 60 Minutes in Australia. Federal and state agencies were consulted including the FBI, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the National Guard, Navy Seals and the Army Corp of Engineers. Then, we learned that Portadam had written a letter to Mr. Trois stating that another attempted could be accomplished with a higher dam, and possibly even two dams. On July 6th, the CRWC called another public meeting in Long Creek, South Carolina. This time, media came from everywhere. Two local television stations showed up with remote broadcasting vans, and there was also extensive coverage from radio and print media. Approximately 80 people from South Carolina and Georgia attended the meeting. The Forest Service sent representatives to explain their position, and Senator Thurmond faxed a letter stating his position. The Forest Service District Ranger stated that there should be no further attempts at recovery, until the water dropped. Senator Thurmond’s letter was the shocker, where he stated, "If in fact we determine that this river is such a threat, I would be willing to introduce legislation to restrict access, particularly commercial rafting, thereby preventing additional tragedies." Most people held the opinion that the letter was an attempt by the Senator to flex his political muscle, under the false impression that the CRWC was connected to the outfitting and guiding industry. Still, it made no sense because the outfitters on the Chattooga River are some of the safest in the country; most deaths on the Chattooga have been from the private sector. Another irony was that while Thurmond was threatening to close off access, some in the search and rescue units were pushing for more access into remote places. A road had already been bulldozed inside of the Wild and Scenic river corridor in Georgia for the recovery attempts. In the interim until the water dropped, several proposals were made for alternative methods of extraction. One from the South Carolina Forestry Commission proposed to divert the river through large pipes around the rapid. The CRWC weighed in with an offer of assistance, and proposed to install a smaller diversion immediately above the extraction spot, thus allowing the bulk of the river to flow around the area. We proposed that this device could be anchored with sandbags, and by utilizing natural rock features. Meanwhile, local rescue squad members generated a list of questions for Portadam. This letter included such statements as "Many are concerned that the dam attempted to divert the water in the opposite direction of the natural flow of the river," and "Things did not go as they were agreed, and as planned at the Monday night meeting." On July 13th, the Chattooga surged to 1.9 feet, which normally is considered to be on the cusp of high water. On July 14th the L. A. Times reported, "USFS officials have not decided whether to construct another dam or wait until the water level falls naturally." By Sunday the 18th, the water had dropped to a low enough level to allow more underwater camera work from a raft. I joined the rescuers in the search. Extensive camera work was done to locate the body both from the closest rocks above the chute, and from a raft. It was during this exploration at Raven Chute that a diver with the Oconee County rescue squad made a heroic attempt to swim upstream into the base of the rapid. Here, he found a bone fragment. The Oconee County Coroner determined from visual inspection that the bone was from an animal. This point in the recovery operations was the first time I met Joe Trois, and his wife Kim. When I offered my condolences, both parents stood stone-faced with no reply. I tried to put this out of my mind in working with the rescue teams. By the end of the day, Joe and I were at least working together coiling belay ropes. There seemed to be a subtle change in the attitude of all those involved with the recovery efforts that day. People were beginning to unite behind the common goal of doing the best we could to get Rachel out of the river. Once I became a part of the effort, I was more convinced than ever that this mission could be accomplished without the heavy-handed and destructive machinery used in the previous attempt. The key would be to convince Joe that we needed to implement the most effective plan, executed by a united effort. In effect, this would neutralize the politicians who were running the show, and who didn’t understand appropriate search and rescue methods. That night, I was invited by the Forest Service to a planning meeting. Together with the Swift Water Rescue Team, we watched the underwater video taken at Raven Chute within days of the accident. Many rescuers believed this video contained images of Rachel trapped in the rapid about eight feet under the current. We compared this to the images taken on July 18th. This was my first opportunity to see the evidence used to determine where Rachael was in the rapid. As the image was described, I began to see the ear and hair believed to be Rachel’s head. Later, I wondered if this was really Rachel. Was the hair just moss flowing in the current? However, the latest images contained no evidence of Rachel’s body. On July 19th, officials issued a press release stating that they believed the body was not in Raven Chute anymore. Now, officials would focus the search downstream of the rapid utilizing dive teams from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and Search and Rescue Dog teams. When these teams turned up no evidence downstream, emphasis began to shift back to Raven Chute. The next week was filled with activities in anticipation of the next move. Mr. Trois was extremely frustrated. He was about to make something happen, and he had powerful allies. On Tuesday July 20th, rescue officials, congressional delegation staffers, the Forest Service and the Trois family met at the rapid to weigh options. On Wednesday, I joined a group of rescuers to conduct additional camera work. The water had dropped, and we could wade fairly close to chute at the center of the rapid. Working from a raft anchored at the top of the rapid, we probed several unexplored places a little further up in the heart of the falls. We probed deep into the rapid, but there was still one spot we couldn’t reach. That night, the Swift Water Rescue Team began reviewing proposals from Portadam and others for another attempt to divert the river. The following day we met representatives with the Strom Thurmond Institute at Raven Chute. Upon a request from the CRWC, the Institute agreed to donate time and equipment to survey and map the river bedrock, to assist in future rescue attempts. Above and in the rapid, high tech laser survey equipment was used to shoot readings on a survey pole positioned on 475 sample points throughout the river bedrock. The data was digitized to create a three dimensional image of the area. This survey work was very useful in learning where natural anchor points existed. On Friday, the Forest Service issued their decision granting Portadam a permit for another attempt to divert the Chattooga at Raven Chute. The statement read, "Because the Swift Water Rescue Team believes this area is the most highly probable area for the body location, and because the area cannot be accessed with the underwater camera and cannot be safely accessed by divers, some type of diversion structure is needed to conduct a thorough search of the rapid." Included in the permit was a clause that gave us the opportunity we had been waiting for: "Holes in the bedrock will only be drilled if there is no other safe alternative to anchor the steel Portadam frames. Back braces and sandbags will be considered before any holes are drilled. Buzz Williams, Executive Director, CRWC will work with Portadam Inc. representatives to consider alternative methods of anchoring the Portadam structure. However, the Portadam, Inc. representatives will make the decision regarding which device will ensure the stability of the structure, and therefore the safety of the recovery team." This was the opening we needed. By the weekend, I had consulted with Portadam about the natural anchor points to be considered. We also secured approximately 5,000 sandbags from the Army Corps of Engineers. It looked like the river would drop to within range of another attempt in a matter of days. On Saturday, I met with two Rabun County Rescue Squad members who had arranged to meet Chuck Yoder at the river, to interview him again about the point where Rachel had last been seem. Chuck confirmed that point to be in the area we suspected. By Monday, it was increasingly clear that an attempt would probably occur on Wednesday. The weather looked pretty good, and everyone was working well together and totally focused on the goal. On Tuesday, Tom and another CRWC intern, Jesse Steele, carried in a few hundred sandbags and we experimented with a small diversion structure. It worked well, and I had to hold Jesse back. If it had been up to him, we would have constructed a complete diversion that day. The recovery attempt was set for Wednesday, July 28th. We planned to sleep on a beach at the river on Tuesday night, not wanting to get caught up in the melee of media and rescue workers at the access points. There was a full moon, and Jesse had gone back to Southeastern Expeditions to borrow a raft to bring down a huge bundle of sandbags. Alone, I sat at Raven Chute, waiting on Jesse and studying the rapid. I was sure we could divert the river if we worked with it. The water was low now, and it was easy to wade out to just above the drop-off into the rapid. As I waded, I could feel little potholes where we could anchor back brace poles for the dam frame. Tom woke me in the predawn darkness. We were prepared for the worst, but were ready to make our best effort. We hiked upstream to the rapid, and were the first to arrive. Soon, I saw a group of rescuers coming down the trail to the head of a skyline cable, which had been set up to transport the steel frames of the Portadam across to a drop point in the middle of the river. On the Georgia side, the last section of the steep trail leading to the river was worn to bare earth. It would have been so much easier to have dropped the frames in with a helicopter and long line, but this expense wasn’t in the Forest Service budget. I asked if anyone knew Bill Streit with the Portadam company. Someone pointed to a stocky, medium height man with dark hair. He was talking to a Forest Service Ranger, who was meticulously going over a list of materials. I introduced myself and we descended the hand line down the steep section of the trail, and out into the open by the river. Bill was easy to work with, and we waded out into the river above the rapid to decide where to put the steel frames that would bear the weight of the Chattooga. Everyone worked together to place the frames in a horseshoe fashion, open end downstream, directly above the slot in the middle of the rapid. The triangular frames were seated with their tail ends jammed against protruding rocks. Back brace poles were anchored in the small potholes behind the frames. Sandbags were used to level the river bottom so the frames would be evenly seated, and easier to bolt together. Other sandbags were used to buttress the ends of the system, and to plug trough-like irregularities running under the frames. This would stop additional current from flowing under the frames. About midmorning, someone said in a low voice over my shoulder, "I think the divers are finding something below." The dive teams had been sent in to search the eddies below the rapid before we completed the dam. This was because when we rolled the vinyl sheeting down over the dam frame to seal off the current, it would cause some turbidity and lower visibility in the water. Within an hour, bones presumed to be Rachel’s remains were found in an eddy 15 yards downstream of the rapid. The Forest Service requested that the media turn off their cameras. We stopped working and silently watched as the divers completed their search. I tried not to look at the sloping rock under the hemlock bough where Joe and Kim lay holding each other, silently weeping. The decision was made to finish installing the diversion structure, to determine if any more remains were in the rapid. When we rolled the sheeting down, the system held firm with no sign of weakness. We all peered over the top of the dam to see an almost eerie sight below. What had once been a rapid cascading through a deep trough was now exposed bedrock, covered with a carpet of lush green moss-like aquatic plants that were teaming with the larvae of mayflies, midges and stoneflies. On the rocks barren of vegetation were combs of egg cases cemented in clusters of various geometric patterns. The juxtaposition of the strange beauty behind the dam against the horrible scene of the body bag on the rocks below was almost more than the senses could bear. I crawled around the end of the dam on the Georgia side, where the safety officer was standing alone staring into the pools of still water behind the dam. "Is it safe?" I asked, and he nodded in approval. No one had gone into the area behind the dam. Some water was still flowing into the slot of the rock trough. Wedged across this chute was a short, thick piece of driftwood about 5 inches in diameter. Wrapped tightly around the driftwood was what appeared to be a bright green and blue print item of clothing. By that time, several others had slowly made their way into the area behind the dam. I used my river knife to cut the cloth from the strainer. We decided to remove the strainer from the undercut rock. I tied a bowline with a half hitch around the wood, and threw the rope to Jesse who, along with several others, pulled the end of the strainer free. It fell from the loop and into the pool below. It was hard to believe, but the whole ordeal was coming to a close. I stayed until the last piece of the dam frame was out of the river. I waved goodbye to Joe as he was climbing up the hand line, but his eyes were downcast. I knew the media was waiting at the top of the trail. I had nothing to say. Quietly, I slipped away and swam down stream to the hidden trail around the bend. Rachel went home with Joe and Kim. Yet, the questions about what sideboards should be articulated by the Forest Service to guide future search and rescue operations remain largely unanswered. The rescue squads spent thousands of hours and almost $200,000, bankrupting their operating funds. The next week, I flew to Washington and met with Jim Furnish, Deputy Chief for the National Forest system. Jim told me he intended to work with the Regional Forester to draft better guidelines for search and rescue operations. He also agreed to consider a proposal I made, for funding search and rescue through designating a portion of the "special use" permit fees from outfitting and guiding operations on the Chattooga for that purpose. In the end, there were some good things to point out. First, the cooperation was extraordinary between the Swift Water Rescue Team, the CRWC and other volunteers from the private sector. The Forest Service stepped up and did a good job of coordinating operations. On the negative side, Senator Thurmond and others who pushed too hard without knowing critical facts were detrimental to the recovery effort. Some of the media concentrated too much on the "controversy," and not enough on the human element of cooperation between people with opposing views in a time of tragedy. The final chapter in this story is yet to be written. People who have the courage and commitment to speak out for change will write that chapter. |