Capsized boaters, stuck drivers and stranded kayakers filled calls for help at Lake Mead National Recreation Area Sunday. Park rangers responded to more than 80 incidents, including two capsized vessels as a result of bad weather.
Around 7:15 p.m. Sunday, a 911 call came in, reporting 12 people were in the water after their 20-foot boat overturned near Swallow Bay. Wardens arrived on scene, secured the vessel and discovered a 3-year-old girl was trapped under the boat.
Rangers and wardens quickly jumped into the water. They could hear the girl’s voice coming from an air pocket. A warden reached under the vessel in the stern area and felt the girl’s hand. The officer then swam under the boat and pulled her to safety where she was treated by medics and reunited with her family.
The other 11 passengers were accounted for and brought to shore.
“You always hear us say that life jackets save lives, and yesterday that came true for our distressed boaters on Lake Mead, and most especially for their 3-year-old daughter trapped underneath a capsized vessel and rescued by a Nevada Game Warden," said Nevada Game Warden Captain Brian Bowles, boating law administrator for Nevada.
Flash flooding occurred in the washes near Willow Beach, pushing massive amounts of debris across the roadway. Mohave County Flood Control gauges just upstream recorded 0.43 inches of rain.
Hundreds of people were at Willow Beach Sunday. Some departed as the storm approached, but many stayed on high ground until water subsided. As they made the journey up the washed-out road, several cars became stuck and needed assistance. There were no reported injuries.
The same storm led to numerous calls for stranded boaters and kayakers. In all, officers conducted 10 search and rescues on Lake Mead and Lake Mohave in just one day, including a capsized vessel near Echo Bay and a stranded boat near Temple Bar.