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CNN Live Today
Rafters Rescued After Boat Stuck in Rapids
Aired May 14, 2004 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here is another live look at the Sandy River in Troutdale, Oregon. As you can see, four boaters, you see three of them right there, are stuck in their boat there. We understand it's been stuck on a rock and emergency crews are there trying to rescue them. It's a 14-foot aluminum boat. And it just could not handle those rapids.
And we understand that one luckily had a cell phone and phoned in for some help and emergency crews are on the scene. We will, of course, continue to monitor this.
And, you know what, Rob, I understand that you used to live near there and did a little whitewater rafting yourself.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
NGUYEN: Not like that though, right?
MARCIANO: Just about everybody does that. Not so much on the Sandy River. I assume these guys are fishermen probably going after steelhead or the spring chinook run that happens this time of the year in that river.
That river drains off Mount Hood which is an 11,000-foot mountain which is glaciered and has snow on it and all this river is runoff. Although it's a little bit less than year this typically. I mean maybe these guys just got caught on a rock or two. That type of boat, not that one. That's the rescue boat from the Sandy Fire Department in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) County.
But the boat that the folks got stuck in is specially designed for rapids, really mild rapids. Just really supposed to float that thing down the river so you can tow a line and maybe catch a few fish. But these guys happened to get stuck in this water.
Forty-five to 55-degree water, Betty. It's very cold, especially this time of year. And even in the summertime this is a popular swimming hole. Not this particular spot but near the bridges and such. And almost on an annual basis there is a fatality or two just from folks who want to cool off in the heat of summer in this particular river.
So even though these guys are probably going to survive this one, it's a very dangerous river and it's probably why the news choppers in Portland got up in the air for this thing because any time there's a rescue call from the Sandy River, we know it could be life-threatening and they send the choppers out. And it looks like at some point here the fire department will get a handle on this case.
NGUYEN: You know, that river, just from vantage point, looks a little low. I mean is the time of the year to be doing that kind of rafting?
MARCIANO: It's lower than it should be this type of year. And for that reason, actually, the water temperatures are slightly higher than they should be, and the fishing isn't as good as it should be this time of the year.
NGUYEN: So what are they doing there is the question.
MARCIANO: Maybe they had the day off and they're being stubborn about it and trying to go after a few fish that are out there. And the fire department has to be called in and get a little bit cold and wet, it looks like.
NGUYEN: Looks like a difficult rescue there because they still have to make their way to that boat.
MARCIANO: Even though it doesn't look like there's a lot of water there, the water is fast-moving. I mean it's coming of an 11,000-foot mountain and it drops rapidly in elevation. So you don't need but a foot or two or three feet of water to put a lot of pressure on you.
And it doesn't take much at all to knock your feet out and get swept in the current and then eventually into what's the Columbia River which will eventually take you past Portland and into the Pacific Ocean.
I don't think they would have to worry about that at this point.
NGUYEN: Not any time soon.
MARCIANO: It's a rapidly flowing river, even though it is low. Water and fire are two things that are more powerful than anyone can imagine. So it's not something to be messed with. And these kids are stuck there and they're having a hard time getting back.
NGUYEN: As rapid as the current is, you see that one person just standing outside the boat.
MARCIANO: Yes. He looks to be in about ankle deep water. You can kind of see the eddy down stream (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So there's a pretty big rock there. It doesn't look like he's in much more than maybe five or six inches of water. So he's doing all right.
I'm not sure how experienced those boaters are or what their deal is, but they're stuck. You can see past the rapids, it does open up and there's plenty of water beyond that. And maybe they...
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: ... could get through there. But with the river as low as it is, they got a little held back. NGUYEN: You say you've seen a lot of rescues there. A lot of problems in this area. How long do you think it's going to take for them to get them out?
MARCIANO: You know, I'm not schooled in the art of rescuing these guys. But it just depends on how lodged that boat is. They're going to throw a rope out there -- they're going to one of two things. They're going to try to dislodge that boat and send them downstream past those rocks and get them into open water which from the looks of it is like only about 50 yards away.
Or they're going to toss a line out to them, which is...
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: And then they'll just tow the line and bear through that current and hold on to the line in the event that they lose footing. So those are the two options. And I would assume the second one is what they're going to go after.
NGUYEN: All right. Well we of course will monitor this story and bring you the latest on that. But right now, we're going to take a quick break. You are watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Topping the headlines "At This Hour," President Bush is on the road today. He left the White House a short time ago. His first stop is a GOP fund raiser luncheon in suburban St, Louis. Later today Mr. Bush will be in Wisconsin to speak at Concordia University's commencement.
In suburban Baltimore, the pilot of a twin engine plane was killed this morning while approaching the Baltimore Washington International Airport. The plane narrowly missed homes in a subdivision on the outskirts of the airport. There are no reports that anyone else was hurt.
And in Christiansburg, Virginia trial underway in 30 minutes for Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick. He's the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Marcus Vick and two other players are accused of serving alcohol to three teenage girls during a party at Vick's apartment. Vick is also charged with having sex with one of them, a 15-year-old.
And want to take you live back at that white river rescue. This is Sandy River, near Troutdale, Oregon. As you can see, crews are on the scene. These are the crews, trying to get to the boat that you see at the top of the screen, where we understand four fishermen are stuck in that boat. It's a 14-foot aluminum boat. They just could not handle the rapids, got stuck on a rock, and one luckily had a cell phone with him, called 911 to ask for some help, and rescue crews on the scene.
This happened around 6:00 this morning Pacific Time, and this rescue has been going on for about an hour and a half, and they're making little progress, but as you can see, it's taking a little time to get down there safely so they can rescue these fishermen out of this predicament. Of course We will continue to follow this right here on CNN.
And we want to bring in now Rob Marciano, because we understand, Rob, you used to live in that area, and you know a lot about this, don't you?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've never gotten stuck on a rock like that, and been on national TV for that matter, but these guys no doubt out fishing for the spring chinook or maybe the summer steelhead in this river, which comes off a mountain. Temperatures this time of year, 45 to 50 degrees, probably just hovering 50 degrees this time of year. River flowing at or slightly below where it might usually run off, and that particular set of rapids, I've never run, so I don't know how difficult it is, but they certainly got stuck on the rocks.
Just beyond that set, it's pretty open water. This is not river you go and pleasure cruise or take a raft out and hit some class threes or fours. There are other rivers in Washington and Oregon to do that. This is more of a fishing river, and it's also a river, that we mentioned just before the break, Betty, that kids use to cool off in the summertime, and there is almost annually a fatality or two just from the currents that run this river, so.
NGUYEN: And you can see why by looking at this picture. You say the water is pretty cold there right about now.
MARCIANO: Absolutely. I mean, it gets warmer as you go closer to the ocean, where it gets a little bit more mixed up, but this has come directly off glaciers and year-round snow pack up at Mount Hood, which is about 30 miles maybe west as the crow flies, and 45-minute drive as you wind your way up the mountain.
There is also a reservoir upstream from this called the Bull Run reservoir. It's where the Portland area gets a lot of their drinking water, and so to some extent, portions of this river are dam controlled. I'm not sure if that matters in this particular instance.
But I can tell you this, Betty, this is not a weather-related incident. It's been pretty quiet across much of the northwest the past couple of days, and all is quiet on the radar, albeit a bit overcast to start their day out there, and chilly. There's no weather that's going to affect this rescue over the next hour or two.
NGUYEN: They just simply got stuck on a rock on the way down. Now at first we thought they would pull a rope out and maybe pull them back, but now it appears that this rescue boat is going to be kind of easing on up next to the trapped fisherman.
MARCIANO: Yes, it looks like they're going to get a first-class ride. That's not a bad way to go. Their friends are no doubt, are going to be getting after them a little bit later on today and tomorrow.
MARCIANO: Then what if -- OK, so if they get on the rescue boat, what happens to their boat?
MARCIANO: Well, somehow or another, it will get dislodged. I would think that one of their pals or another boat will come upstream and get a rope on it and give it a good tug and get it through those rapids if it doesn't dislodge naturally.
NGUYEN: You've got to be very careful in this kind of rescue, especially rapids like that. It looks pretty powerful.
MARCIANO: It is, and you know, it doesn't take but a foot or two of water to sweep your feet under, and that's why these guys are being so careful.
You can see the one guy in, say, the north part of your screen, I guess, who's holding that rope, he's on dry rock. Another guy near the boat that's trapped, he's on rock that's probably submerged into about four or five inches of water. So these guys are not in deep water where they are standing, but because they know it only takes a foot or two to be swept under.
NGUYEN: Do you think that's possibly why these fishermen got stuck, just because the water is not deep enough this time of year?
MARCIANO: Well, in this area, again, I haven't run those rapids, so it may be a set of rapids that, you know fishermen know to stay away from or don't get to that point, or if you do, you've got to take this line or that line.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, they looked like they were about to make this rescue happen, but of course, as you can see on your screen, one of the emergency crew folks lost his oar in the water. It hasn't been swept away just yet. Oh, he pulled out another one.
MARCIANO: Yes, he's like a good drummer, he's got an extra set of sticks.
NGUYEN: Always prepared in this kind of situation. This thing has lasted for about an hour and a half, a little longer than that. These rescues usually take a lot of time, Rob?
MARCIANO: It depends on where they are and how tough it is to get to them. It's not rocket science, really. There are maybe a handful of ways to get somebody out, and these guys have done it on a regular basis; somebody on this river, if not get stuck on a rock, is you know, struggling because they're swimming. So it's more of a common sense thing, and these guys are well experienced. These rescuers know this river like the back of their hand, to use that expression, for sure. And Troutdale, if you don't know, is about maybe 15 miles due east of Portland, and where this river is dumping out on is the Columbia River, one of the largest river systems in North America, which goes directly into the Pacific Ocean. This is an all fresh water, all mountain runoff river, what you're looking at right now.
NGUYEN: And so he's pulling up right beside the boat now. One of the rescue crew members standing -- you can see him right there toward the right of the screen -- in the water. You said he's got pretty good footing, but that water looks like it's coming down pretty fast. Is there some kind of a fear that he may lose his footing?
MARCIANO: I suppose. Well, that's why he's wearing a helmet and a life vest and he's got a rope, fore sure. These guys, they're not messing around. I mean, they know more than anybody else that it's a dangerous place to be, so they're doing all that they can to get it done. Not to say that it's not -- that there couldn't be something bad that happens here, but they look to have a handle on the situation. And this guy has a hand on the boat, so it looks like they're going to make a transfer of the fisher people.
NGUYEN: About to happen.
MARCIANO: And maybe they'll have themselves a warm and dry lunch in the next couple of hours.
NGUYEN: Boy, this is a story to tell, huh? About the one that got away.
MARCIANO: Hopefully -- should we send them the tape? Is that a nice little present for them?
NGUYEN: For memory sake, right?
MARCIANO: I tell you, it's good eating, though, if you can catch yourself some fresh chinook out of that river. It's one of the cleaner rivers in Oregon, and you get yourself a couple of keepers, and clean it, filet it, and either smoke it, which what a lot of folks love to do, or just throw it on the grill or steam it. That is some good eating. So it's, you know...
NGUYEN: Well, they may have to go buy a couple of those today, because I don't think they're going to be fishing them out.
MARCIANO: One way that the Native Americans in this part of the world would fish, they would stand on the side of the river. They wouldn't even go out in boats, and they would literally stick these huge nets down as the salmon ran up and catch the salmon as they run up upstream. That was back in the day when the salmon were literally jumping out of the water, like you see in video from Alaska, not so much the case so much anymore, but the Native Americans in this part of the world use this, this river, and a lot of rivers, especially upstream in Columbia, to catch fish, and they get to sell it on the side of the road for an unbelievable price. You can get fresh chinook salmon at, like, 1, 2 bucks per pound out of the back of somebody's cooler who -- because they, by law, are allowed to take just a few more fish than your everyday citizen.
NGUYEN: You're a real expert on this.
Well, for those folks who are just joining us, we want to give you an update on what we're looking at. This a live picture from Troutdale, Oregon, which is just a little ways away from Portland. This is the Sandy River, where we understand four people got stuck in their 14-foot aluminum boat. They just could not handle the rapids as they were going through them today, got stuck on a rock, and someone luckily had a cell phone with them and called 911 for help. Crews have been out there for the past hour, hour and 45 minutes, to help rescue these folks from the boat.
As you can see, I believe two have made it into the rescue boat, and they're trying to establish a way down these rapids so that they can get to safety. But, Rob, it appears that they're going to put the folks in the boat, and then are they just going to send the fisherman's boat down the rapid on its own?
MARCIANO: You know, that wouldn't be -- If I was sitting in that yellow boat or standing by the other boat, I would try to dislodge it. They'd obviously have an easier time dislodging it without four people in it, so that may be their plan, you know. We'll have to wait and see.
This is one reason, Betty, that getting up at 5:00 in the morning when it's 40 degrees out, especially in the wintertime, when it's, like, sturgeon fishing. Sturgeons are these huge, almost dinosaur- looking fish, but they're great eating, too. That's during the wintertime, and it could be 35 degrees and raining on this, or at least the Columbia River, and you get up at 5:00, 6:00 in the morning to do that. I don't know, it just doesn't sound like fun. And then you risk getting stuck on a rock like this. So you know, buy your fish in a store, or at least maybe from your buddy that took a chance and fished in there.
Now they just did a ferry service there of about 10 yards, and that's about it. They're going to be able to get these kids to shore here in no time.
NGUYEN: That's a big sigh of relief that she's finally made it to solid ground. Two of them are still in the boat. I imagine they're just going to let these folks off, and then go back down to the boat that's stuck and rescue the remaining two people.
Now, not from this vantage point, but when this there was a wide shot a little bit earlier, not too far away, you can see the river is all calm. This is just one portion where it gets a little rocky.
MARCIANO: Yes. And where it's typically calm, and it's a little bit more calm upstream of this set of rapids and a lot more calm just downstream of it, that's where the swimming holes are. And there is a number of bridges that go across this particular stretch of water.
Troutdale's a pretty populated area. It's a suburb of Portland itself. And there's a lot of people that live there and there's a lot of traffic that goes back and forth over that river. And where the bridges are, you may want to take a jump off.
And even where it looks like there is no current, Betty, namely downstream of this and just upstream of this rapid, there is current and it's sneaky and that's what makes it such a dangerous river... NGUYEN: The undercurrent?
MARCIANO: Yes, the undercurrent. Most people who swim in this river, at least the smarter ones in the summertime actually, swim with a life jacket on. It's posted up and down this river that if you're going to swim when it's 95 degrees in July or August, you better wear a life jacket because people die in this river. And that's how deceptive that river can be.
I'm sure there is a number of other -- I'm sure people in Colorado and Idaho and northern California that are shaking their head right now going, yes, I've got a river in my backyard just like that's just as dangerous. Or maybe they're saying, I got stuck, too. And thank goodness I didn't get on national TV because of it.
NGUYEN: the good news is two of them have made it to solid ground. And as you can see by these pictures, all of these fishermen have their lifejackets on. So they took precautions. They just simply got stuck.
Of course this is the Sandy River in Troutdale, Oregon. Four boaters stranded in those rapids. Got stuck on a rock, we understand and just could not make their way down the river. This is kind of an odd shot there of a tree. But we'll get back to that rescue scene in a moment.
And this is near Portland, isn't it, Rob?
MARCIANO: Yes, it's just about 15 minutes due east of Portland, maybe a little bit northeast of Portland, due east of the Portland airport as well.
Right in the -- just as the Columbia Gorge, the mouth of the Columbia Gorge -- and for the folks who have never been in this part of the world, it's literally where the Columbia River carves out a canyon right through the Cascade Mountains. And it's one of the most amazing things you'll ever see.
Up river from Troutdale, along the Columbia -- not this river but the Columbia itself, much bigger and wider. Up river in a place called Hood River, and wind surfers know this, it's the wind surfing capital of the world. They get winds there, west winds during the summertime that crank upwards of 30, 40, even at times 50 miles an hour.
Honkin', nukin' are some of the terms that my buddies use out there. So here's is the Columbia River Gorge right here, Portland there and Troutdale up the river from there.
But we're looking there at the Sandy River which is not the Columbia. Columbia is a lot bigger.
Hey, radar scope, while we're on it, I mean this is not a weather-related event. This is four fishermen or people that got caught in the currents of the Sandy River. Any sort of echoes you see heading to Salt Lake, not an issue. Today's going to be a beautiful across much of Portland and Seattle so they shouldn't have much more of a problem.
It looks kind of chilly. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) nasty. Right now, it's 50 degrees outside the water and about 49 in the water.
NGUYEN: One guys has on shorts there as he's about to make his way to the rescue boat. It looks like they're about to get all of them out of that trapped boat, a 14-foot aluminum boat, we understand. And get them safely to shore.
You say this is not a weather event. Is the river low in this area?
MARCIANO: It's at or slightly lower than normal. I know the Columbia and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Rivers are reported to be lower and little bit warmer than they typically would be in the fishing and at least in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) River is not quite as good as it was. And maybe that's why these guys headed up into the Sandy River to maybe catch some chinook and/or steelhead, which has been, you know, has been decent up there.
Two s, I might add, in that boat. One for fish and one for people. They probably want to save both of them if the can.
NGUYEN: They're both for fish, we'll just say that.
Let's talk about this boat. As we're looking at it, it's stuck on this rock. Can a boat like this usually maneuver through these rapids?
MARCIANO: Yes. It's -- this boat is designed for floating rivers. It's a flat haul boat. You can see it's pretty wide so it's not easy to tip over. And it can take some bumps and bruises on the way down a river.
It's not necessarily -- there are some people out there that will take it down some serious rapids, but it's more so for floating down a river, taking some milder rapids and getting to spots where you can throw a line out and do some fishing.
And that's what that boat is designed for. The bigger ones, I guess, can go and higher class rapids. But it's mostly used for fishing and floating up and down rivers that aren't known for having a huge amount of rapid.
NGUYEN: This rescue seems like it's really hasn't had many bumps in the road as they're trying to get the folks to safety. We were a little concerned earlier because one of the rescue crew folks lost his oar. But of course they're always prepared.
And as you can see, the last person you see out of the boat there and into the rescue boat. Look at the boat! It's getting filled with water! Is that thing going to tip over as they send it down the river?
MARCIANO: I think it's just going to go underneath the water.
NGUYEN: And everything in it.
MARCIANO: The coolers! I told you guys to save the coolers!
NGUYEN: That's not what's important now, Rob, is it?
MARCIANO: No. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) full with water. They're just going to have to let that thing go downstream with water in then and somehow get it -- that's going to take some muscle now. That is not fun. Especially a boat that size.
NGUYEN: It seems like it may be hard to dislodge it now with all the water in it.
MARCIANO: I'm more interested in how they're going to get that boat out of there now than how they...
NGUYEN: They still have a rope connected to it. I don't know if they're going to possibly reel it in.
MARCIANO: I would imagine that rope would snap in a heartbeat if they try to do that between the current and the amount of water that's in that boat now.
NGUYEN: There are some folks downstream where the river is calm. They've been standing by waiting for either the boat or the folks in the boat to all come down at once.
But the decision was made by the rescue crews on the scene to go ahead and take all of the boaters out and send them to shore. And what's going to happen with this boat, that remains to be seen.
Of course, we will continue to follow this story. This is happening at the Sandy River in Troutdale, Oregon where you can see a rescue has been made. You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
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Aired May 14, 2004 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here is another live look at the Sandy River in Troutdale, Oregon. As you can see, four boaters, you see three of them right there, are stuck in their boat there. We understand it's been stuck on a rock and emergency crews are there trying to rescue them. It's a 14-foot aluminum boat. And it just could not handle those rapids.
And we understand that one luckily had a cell phone and phoned in for some help and emergency crews are on the scene. We will, of course, continue to monitor this.
And, you know what, Rob, I understand that you used to live near there and did a little whitewater rafting yourself.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
NGUYEN: Not like that though, right?
MARCIANO: Just about everybody does that. Not so much on the Sandy River. I assume these guys are fishermen probably going after steelhead or the spring chinook run that happens this time of the year in that river.
That river drains off Mount Hood which is an 11,000-foot mountain which is glaciered and has snow on it and all this river is runoff. Although it's a little bit less than year this typically. I mean maybe these guys just got caught on a rock or two. That type of boat, not that one. That's the rescue boat from the Sandy Fire Department in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) County.
But the boat that the folks got stuck in is specially designed for rapids, really mild rapids. Just really supposed to float that thing down the river so you can tow a line and maybe catch a few fish. But these guys happened to get stuck in this water.
Forty-five to 55-degree water, Betty. It's very cold, especially this time of year. And even in the summertime this is a popular swimming hole. Not this particular spot but near the bridges and such. And almost on an annual basis there is a fatality or two just from folks who want to cool off in the heat of summer in this particular river.
So even though these guys are probably going to survive this one, it's a very dangerous river and it's probably why the news choppers in Portland got up in the air for this thing because any time there's a rescue call from the Sandy River, we know it could be life-threatening and they send the choppers out. And it looks like at some point here the fire department will get a handle on this case.
NGUYEN: You know, that river, just from vantage point, looks a little low. I mean is the time of the year to be doing that kind of rafting?
MARCIANO: It's lower than it should be this type of year. And for that reason, actually, the water temperatures are slightly higher than they should be, and the fishing isn't as good as it should be this time of the year.
NGUYEN: So what are they doing there is the question.
MARCIANO: Maybe they had the day off and they're being stubborn about it and trying to go after a few fish that are out there. And the fire department has to be called in and get a little bit cold and wet, it looks like.
NGUYEN: Looks like a difficult rescue there because they still have to make their way to that boat.
MARCIANO: Even though it doesn't look like there's a lot of water there, the water is fast-moving. I mean it's coming of an 11,000-foot mountain and it drops rapidly in elevation. So you don't need but a foot or two or three feet of water to put a lot of pressure on you.
And it doesn't take much at all to knock your feet out and get swept in the current and then eventually into what's the Columbia River which will eventually take you past Portland and into the Pacific Ocean.
I don't think they would have to worry about that at this point.
NGUYEN: Not any time soon.
MARCIANO: It's a rapidly flowing river, even though it is low. Water and fire are two things that are more powerful than anyone can imagine. So it's not something to be messed with. And these kids are stuck there and they're having a hard time getting back.
NGUYEN: As rapid as the current is, you see that one person just standing outside the boat.
MARCIANO: Yes. He looks to be in about ankle deep water. You can kind of see the eddy down stream (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So there's a pretty big rock there. It doesn't look like he's in much more than maybe five or six inches of water. So he's doing all right.
I'm not sure how experienced those boaters are or what their deal is, but they're stuck. You can see past the rapids, it does open up and there's plenty of water beyond that. And maybe they...
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: ... could get through there. But with the river as low as it is, they got a little held back. NGUYEN: You say you've seen a lot of rescues there. A lot of problems in this area. How long do you think it's going to take for them to get them out?
MARCIANO: You know, I'm not schooled in the art of rescuing these guys. But it just depends on how lodged that boat is. They're going to throw a rope out there -- they're going to one of two things. They're going to try to dislodge that boat and send them downstream past those rocks and get them into open water which from the looks of it is like only about 50 yards away.
Or they're going to toss a line out to them, which is...
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: And then they'll just tow the line and bear through that current and hold on to the line in the event that they lose footing. So those are the two options. And I would assume the second one is what they're going to go after.
NGUYEN: All right. Well we of course will monitor this story and bring you the latest on that. But right now, we're going to take a quick break. You are watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Topping the headlines "At This Hour," President Bush is on the road today. He left the White House a short time ago. His first stop is a GOP fund raiser luncheon in suburban St, Louis. Later today Mr. Bush will be in Wisconsin to speak at Concordia University's commencement.
In suburban Baltimore, the pilot of a twin engine plane was killed this morning while approaching the Baltimore Washington International Airport. The plane narrowly missed homes in a subdivision on the outskirts of the airport. There are no reports that anyone else was hurt.
And in Christiansburg, Virginia trial underway in 30 minutes for Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick. He's the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Marcus Vick and two other players are accused of serving alcohol to three teenage girls during a party at Vick's apartment. Vick is also charged with having sex with one of them, a 15-year-old.
And want to take you live back at that white river rescue. This is Sandy River, near Troutdale, Oregon. As you can see, crews are on the scene. These are the crews, trying to get to the boat that you see at the top of the screen, where we understand four fishermen are stuck in that boat. It's a 14-foot aluminum boat. They just could not handle the rapids, got stuck on a rock, and one luckily had a cell phone with him, called 911 to ask for some help, and rescue crews on the scene.
This happened around 6:00 this morning Pacific Time, and this rescue has been going on for about an hour and a half, and they're making little progress, but as you can see, it's taking a little time to get down there safely so they can rescue these fishermen out of this predicament. Of course We will continue to follow this right here on CNN.
And we want to bring in now Rob Marciano, because we understand, Rob, you used to live in that area, and you know a lot about this, don't you?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've never gotten stuck on a rock like that, and been on national TV for that matter, but these guys no doubt out fishing for the spring chinook or maybe the summer steelhead in this river, which comes off a mountain. Temperatures this time of year, 45 to 50 degrees, probably just hovering 50 degrees this time of year. River flowing at or slightly below where it might usually run off, and that particular set of rapids, I've never run, so I don't know how difficult it is, but they certainly got stuck on the rocks.
Just beyond that set, it's pretty open water. This is not river you go and pleasure cruise or take a raft out and hit some class threes or fours. There are other rivers in Washington and Oregon to do that. This is more of a fishing river, and it's also a river, that we mentioned just before the break, Betty, that kids use to cool off in the summertime, and there is almost annually a fatality or two just from the currents that run this river, so.
NGUYEN: And you can see why by looking at this picture. You say the water is pretty cold there right about now.
MARCIANO: Absolutely. I mean, it gets warmer as you go closer to the ocean, where it gets a little bit more mixed up, but this has come directly off glaciers and year-round snow pack up at Mount Hood, which is about 30 miles maybe west as the crow flies, and 45-minute drive as you wind your way up the mountain.
There is also a reservoir upstream from this called the Bull Run reservoir. It's where the Portland area gets a lot of their drinking water, and so to some extent, portions of this river are dam controlled. I'm not sure if that matters in this particular instance.
But I can tell you this, Betty, this is not a weather-related incident. It's been pretty quiet across much of the northwest the past couple of days, and all is quiet on the radar, albeit a bit overcast to start their day out there, and chilly. There's no weather that's going to affect this rescue over the next hour or two.
NGUYEN: They just simply got stuck on a rock on the way down. Now at first we thought they would pull a rope out and maybe pull them back, but now it appears that this rescue boat is going to be kind of easing on up next to the trapped fisherman.
MARCIANO: Yes, it looks like they're going to get a first-class ride. That's not a bad way to go. Their friends are no doubt, are going to be getting after them a little bit later on today and tomorrow.
MARCIANO: Then what if -- OK, so if they get on the rescue boat, what happens to their boat?
MARCIANO: Well, somehow or another, it will get dislodged. I would think that one of their pals or another boat will come upstream and get a rope on it and give it a good tug and get it through those rapids if it doesn't dislodge naturally.
NGUYEN: You've got to be very careful in this kind of rescue, especially rapids like that. It looks pretty powerful.
MARCIANO: It is, and you know, it doesn't take but a foot or two of water to sweep your feet under, and that's why these guys are being so careful.
You can see the one guy in, say, the north part of your screen, I guess, who's holding that rope, he's on dry rock. Another guy near the boat that's trapped, he's on rock that's probably submerged into about four or five inches of water. So these guys are not in deep water where they are standing, but because they know it only takes a foot or two to be swept under.
NGUYEN: Do you think that's possibly why these fishermen got stuck, just because the water is not deep enough this time of year?
MARCIANO: Well, in this area, again, I haven't run those rapids, so it may be a set of rapids that, you know fishermen know to stay away from or don't get to that point, or if you do, you've got to take this line or that line.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, they looked like they were about to make this rescue happen, but of course, as you can see on your screen, one of the emergency crew folks lost his oar in the water. It hasn't been swept away just yet. Oh, he pulled out another one.
MARCIANO: Yes, he's like a good drummer, he's got an extra set of sticks.
NGUYEN: Always prepared in this kind of situation. This thing has lasted for about an hour and a half, a little longer than that. These rescues usually take a lot of time, Rob?
MARCIANO: It depends on where they are and how tough it is to get to them. It's not rocket science, really. There are maybe a handful of ways to get somebody out, and these guys have done it on a regular basis; somebody on this river, if not get stuck on a rock, is you know, struggling because they're swimming. So it's more of a common sense thing, and these guys are well experienced. These rescuers know this river like the back of their hand, to use that expression, for sure. And Troutdale, if you don't know, is about maybe 15 miles due east of Portland, and where this river is dumping out on is the Columbia River, one of the largest river systems in North America, which goes directly into the Pacific Ocean. This is an all fresh water, all mountain runoff river, what you're looking at right now.
NGUYEN: And so he's pulling up right beside the boat now. One of the rescue crew members standing -- you can see him right there toward the right of the screen -- in the water. You said he's got pretty good footing, but that water looks like it's coming down pretty fast. Is there some kind of a fear that he may lose his footing?
MARCIANO: I suppose. Well, that's why he's wearing a helmet and a life vest and he's got a rope, fore sure. These guys, they're not messing around. I mean, they know more than anybody else that it's a dangerous place to be, so they're doing all that they can to get it done. Not to say that it's not -- that there couldn't be something bad that happens here, but they look to have a handle on the situation. And this guy has a hand on the boat, so it looks like they're going to make a transfer of the fisher people.
NGUYEN: About to happen.
MARCIANO: And maybe they'll have themselves a warm and dry lunch in the next couple of hours.
NGUYEN: Boy, this is a story to tell, huh? About the one that got away.
MARCIANO: Hopefully -- should we send them the tape? Is that a nice little present for them?
NGUYEN: For memory sake, right?
MARCIANO: I tell you, it's good eating, though, if you can catch yourself some fresh chinook out of that river. It's one of the cleaner rivers in Oregon, and you get yourself a couple of keepers, and clean it, filet it, and either smoke it, which what a lot of folks love to do, or just throw it on the grill or steam it. That is some good eating. So it's, you know...
NGUYEN: Well, they may have to go buy a couple of those today, because I don't think they're going to be fishing them out.
MARCIANO: One way that the Native Americans in this part of the world would fish, they would stand on the side of the river. They wouldn't even go out in boats, and they would literally stick these huge nets down as the salmon ran up and catch the salmon as they run up upstream. That was back in the day when the salmon were literally jumping out of the water, like you see in video from Alaska, not so much the case so much anymore, but the Native Americans in this part of the world use this, this river, and a lot of rivers, especially upstream in Columbia, to catch fish, and they get to sell it on the side of the road for an unbelievable price. You can get fresh chinook salmon at, like, 1, 2 bucks per pound out of the back of somebody's cooler who -- because they, by law, are allowed to take just a few more fish than your everyday citizen.
NGUYEN: You're a real expert on this.
Well, for those folks who are just joining us, we want to give you an update on what we're looking at. This a live picture from Troutdale, Oregon, which is just a little ways away from Portland. This is the Sandy River, where we understand four people got stuck in their 14-foot aluminum boat. They just could not handle the rapids as they were going through them today, got stuck on a rock, and someone luckily had a cell phone with them and called 911 for help. Crews have been out there for the past hour, hour and 45 minutes, to help rescue these folks from the boat.
As you can see, I believe two have made it into the rescue boat, and they're trying to establish a way down these rapids so that they can get to safety. But, Rob, it appears that they're going to put the folks in the boat, and then are they just going to send the fisherman's boat down the rapid on its own?
MARCIANO: You know, that wouldn't be -- If I was sitting in that yellow boat or standing by the other boat, I would try to dislodge it. They'd obviously have an easier time dislodging it without four people in it, so that may be their plan, you know. We'll have to wait and see.
This is one reason, Betty, that getting up at 5:00 in the morning when it's 40 degrees out, especially in the wintertime, when it's, like, sturgeon fishing. Sturgeons are these huge, almost dinosaur- looking fish, but they're great eating, too. That's during the wintertime, and it could be 35 degrees and raining on this, or at least the Columbia River, and you get up at 5:00, 6:00 in the morning to do that. I don't know, it just doesn't sound like fun. And then you risk getting stuck on a rock like this. So you know, buy your fish in a store, or at least maybe from your buddy that took a chance and fished in there.
Now they just did a ferry service there of about 10 yards, and that's about it. They're going to be able to get these kids to shore here in no time.
NGUYEN: That's a big sigh of relief that she's finally made it to solid ground. Two of them are still in the boat. I imagine they're just going to let these folks off, and then go back down to the boat that's stuck and rescue the remaining two people.
Now, not from this vantage point, but when this there was a wide shot a little bit earlier, not too far away, you can see the river is all calm. This is just one portion where it gets a little rocky.
MARCIANO: Yes. And where it's typically calm, and it's a little bit more calm upstream of this set of rapids and a lot more calm just downstream of it, that's where the swimming holes are. And there is a number of bridges that go across this particular stretch of water.
Troutdale's a pretty populated area. It's a suburb of Portland itself. And there's a lot of people that live there and there's a lot of traffic that goes back and forth over that river. And where the bridges are, you may want to take a jump off.
And even where it looks like there is no current, Betty, namely downstream of this and just upstream of this rapid, there is current and it's sneaky and that's what makes it such a dangerous river... NGUYEN: The undercurrent?
MARCIANO: Yes, the undercurrent. Most people who swim in this river, at least the smarter ones in the summertime actually, swim with a life jacket on. It's posted up and down this river that if you're going to swim when it's 95 degrees in July or August, you better wear a life jacket because people die in this river. And that's how deceptive that river can be.
I'm sure there is a number of other -- I'm sure people in Colorado and Idaho and northern California that are shaking their head right now going, yes, I've got a river in my backyard just like that's just as dangerous. Or maybe they're saying, I got stuck, too. And thank goodness I didn't get on national TV because of it.
NGUYEN: the good news is two of them have made it to solid ground. And as you can see by these pictures, all of these fishermen have their lifejackets on. So they took precautions. They just simply got stuck.
Of course this is the Sandy River in Troutdale, Oregon. Four boaters stranded in those rapids. Got stuck on a rock, we understand and just could not make their way down the river. This is kind of an odd shot there of a tree. But we'll get back to that rescue scene in a moment.
And this is near Portland, isn't it, Rob?
MARCIANO: Yes, it's just about 15 minutes due east of Portland, maybe a little bit northeast of Portland, due east of the Portland airport as well.
Right in the -- just as the Columbia Gorge, the mouth of the Columbia Gorge -- and for the folks who have never been in this part of the world, it's literally where the Columbia River carves out a canyon right through the Cascade Mountains. And it's one of the most amazing things you'll ever see.
Up river from Troutdale, along the Columbia -- not this river but the Columbia itself, much bigger and wider. Up river in a place called Hood River, and wind surfers know this, it's the wind surfing capital of the world. They get winds there, west winds during the summertime that crank upwards of 30, 40, even at times 50 miles an hour.
Honkin', nukin' are some of the terms that my buddies use out there. So here's is the Columbia River Gorge right here, Portland there and Troutdale up the river from there.
But we're looking there at the Sandy River which is not the Columbia. Columbia is a lot bigger.
Hey, radar scope, while we're on it, I mean this is not a weather-related event. This is four fishermen or people that got caught in the currents of the Sandy River. Any sort of echoes you see heading to Salt Lake, not an issue. Today's going to be a beautiful across much of Portland and Seattle so they shouldn't have much more of a problem.
It looks kind of chilly. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) nasty. Right now, it's 50 degrees outside the water and about 49 in the water.
NGUYEN: One guys has on shorts there as he's about to make his way to the rescue boat. It looks like they're about to get all of them out of that trapped boat, a 14-foot aluminum boat, we understand. And get them safely to shore.
You say this is not a weather event. Is the river low in this area?
MARCIANO: It's at or slightly lower than normal. I know the Columbia and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Rivers are reported to be lower and little bit warmer than they typically would be in the fishing and at least in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) River is not quite as good as it was. And maybe that's why these guys headed up into the Sandy River to maybe catch some chinook and/or steelhead, which has been, you know, has been decent up there.
Two s, I might add, in that boat. One for fish and one for people. They probably want to save both of them if the can.
NGUYEN: They're both for fish, we'll just say that.
Let's talk about this boat. As we're looking at it, it's stuck on this rock. Can a boat like this usually maneuver through these rapids?
MARCIANO: Yes. It's -- this boat is designed for floating rivers. It's a flat haul boat. You can see it's pretty wide so it's not easy to tip over. And it can take some bumps and bruises on the way down a river.
It's not necessarily -- there are some people out there that will take it down some serious rapids, but it's more so for floating down a river, taking some milder rapids and getting to spots where you can throw a line out and do some fishing.
And that's what that boat is designed for. The bigger ones, I guess, can go and higher class rapids. But it's mostly used for fishing and floating up and down rivers that aren't known for having a huge amount of rapid.
NGUYEN: This rescue seems like it's really hasn't had many bumps in the road as they're trying to get the folks to safety. We were a little concerned earlier because one of the rescue crew folks lost his oar. But of course they're always prepared.
And as you can see, the last person you see out of the boat there and into the rescue boat. Look at the boat! It's getting filled with water! Is that thing going to tip over as they send it down the river?
MARCIANO: I think it's just going to go underneath the water.
NGUYEN: And everything in it.
MARCIANO: The coolers! I told you guys to save the coolers!
NGUYEN: That's not what's important now, Rob, is it?
MARCIANO: No. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) full with water. They're just going to have to let that thing go downstream with water in then and somehow get it -- that's going to take some muscle now. That is not fun. Especially a boat that size.
NGUYEN: It seems like it may be hard to dislodge it now with all the water in it.
MARCIANO: I'm more interested in how they're going to get that boat out of there now than how they...
NGUYEN: They still have a rope connected to it. I don't know if they're going to possibly reel it in.
MARCIANO: I would imagine that rope would snap in a heartbeat if they try to do that between the current and the amount of water that's in that boat now.
NGUYEN: There are some folks downstream where the river is calm. They've been standing by waiting for either the boat or the folks in the boat to all come down at once.
But the decision was made by the rescue crews on the scene to go ahead and take all of the boaters out and send them to shore. And what's going to happen with this boat, that remains to be seen.
Of course, we will continue to follow this story. This is happening at the Sandy River in Troutdale, Oregon where you can see a rescue has been made. You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
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