Kids from a Jewish camp from Memphis and Georgia were enjoying themselves on the French Broad River until the weather changed.
After the Sevierville Fire Department had rescued the two from under the trees, they were informed of a large group in trouble further up the river.
The SFD and the Sevier County Rescue Squad, in three inflatable boats headed up river towards the Dam to investigate.
When the rescue team reached the group they were asked if they needed help.
They responded yes, according to Bob Stahlke, the Sevierville Public Information Officer.
"We had some children who had actually come out of their watercraft and were just floating in the river so the rescuers started taking children from the water and their watercraft to shore," Stahlke said.
According to Stahlke, there were children from the ages of 7 or 8 years old and up in inner tubes, canoes, kayaks, and inflatable kayaks and a number just floating.
Due the dark clouds, lightning and rain some were frighten and were glad to be rescued, according to Stahlke.
Out of the group about two to three dozen were taken to shore. Approximately 25 were treated for mild hypothermia. No one needed to be transported and everyone was accounted for.
"Given the weather conditions, the ages of the children, we potentially avoided something more serious," stated Stahlke.
According to authorities this was the biggest river rescue in Sevierville's recent history. The Sevierville Fire Department, Sevier County Rescue Squad, Sevier County Ambulance, Sevierville Police Department and the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency all added in the successful effort.
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User Comments
Well Joe you were not here for the Blizzard of 1993. Not only is you photograph a fake, you did not get your facts straight. This was not the biggest rescue ever in Sevier County. Don't you people have a research department. Your reports are very irresponsible and incorrect!
The headline is misleading, but its the same as the Mountain Press. Both quote authorities as largest river rescue.
The photo is a fake and a representation of the newspaper and it's owners! I did not see any swimmers in the water in bathing caps when I was there helping out. Plus the story is incomplete in not mentioning the Sevierville Police Officer in the wreck. This rag is a waste!
Telling about a lie someplace else does not erase this one! The police officer was rushing to the situation and was part of the story.
You are making excuses for bad reporting for which there no excuse! This is just a bad job of journalism and a worse job of editing. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, it is a duck! One of the kids could have written a better story. My bet is there was no one there from the paper and this is all just second hand smoke and pastry puff, as they say in the industry. The first and most important rule of journalism is" If you can not verify it, don't print it". The fake photo is a clear representation of the integrity of the paper's owners. One must ask what else is fake in their reporting. Their credibility is destroyed and lost. Once again, this reg is a waste and only belongs on the bottom of a bird cage!
Mike you are a DUCK!
Ok. Two posters say this is not the largest river rescue ever in Sevier county. As a student & fan of Sevier county history I'd like to hear about the other rescue(s).
This was journalism at its lowest, Joe Karl has a long recovery to overcome his poor reputation.
I do agree with him on exempting the police accident. A new report is a brief highlight of the events. The reporter makes the decision on what will interest their readers and sell papers. To include everything about the event would require a book. The official report is several pages long, which includes more details, but not every detail. There was also some fishermen who assisted in the rescue, but never made the news media. Since the police officer never made it to the rescue, omitting the police accident to fit the story to the page, was the correct decision.
Well Mikey boy, er, I mean, pfffft, Historian, hahaha, I see that you no longer like Joe Karl. You liked him over on the other column but now that you think I am Joe Karl, you are putting him down. I guess the people here will soon be seeing the real Mikey boy carry on with his ranting like he does on Topix.
Mikey, or historian,... you need to read a little closer before you try to jump in and correct someone which you love to do. Mr Karl did not say this was the biggest rescue ever in Sevier County,... HE SAID IT WAS THE BIGGEST "RIVER" RESCUE IN SEVIER COUNTY!
Now don't you feel like a complete idiot? You DO?, well GOOD!
Mikey boy, you need to take your own advice about not printing things you can not verify. You say it is safer in parts of Iraq than it is in Pigeon Forge, but then you are just trying to scare tourist away for your own revenge. Maybe you were talking about somewhere in the hundreds of miles of the Iraqi desert sand.
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=6...
Severi County won't release the name of the hotel where this thug was hold up. That's typical. Conceal the truth and hope it will go away!
"HE SAID IT WAS THE BIGGEST "RIVER" RESCUE IN SEVIER COUNTY!"
I'll make you a deal. I'll admit that was said in the last paragraph of the story. Now YOU go back and read the headline. Then tell me what that implies.
It was bad journalism, but I give him credit for allowing these remarks. The Mountain Press review every remark before allowing it post. I can assure from experience, remarks like this would never be posted at the Mountain Press. I want to thank Joe Karl for allowing this.
I will also give Mr Karl credit for allowing comments that most papers would not allow. I call you names because you call everyone else names, and you said you treat people the way you want to be treated, so you got it old man. You didn't really mean it though, because you are a whiney butt, and can't take criticizm. Mr Karl must be a much cooler, more passive guy than me, because I would ban you from ever posting on my paper. An opinion is one thing, but you call people all sorts of names. I am a democrat, and Mr Karl is a republican, and even though we have never met or spoken, I would bet he is a nice guy. One thing for sure, he would have to be nicer than you or he would not have a business. I realize people have the right to make up their own mind about things. I have talked bad about republicans on topix just to irritate you when you bash democrats, but as long as a person can voice their opinion and listen to mine, I have no problem with them. Debating and discussing is how ideas get exchanged, and it shows that people have open minds. But little spoiled Mikey boy has to have everything his way, or he will have his buddy at topix toss you off the board. I guess you feel like you have won the battle when you are the only poster left on the board. I don't know what kind of pictures Mr Karl has, but If he needs a photo of a MASTURBATOR, you could send him one of yours.
you claim to be a journalist, which is a laugh, but if you were,, you would know that headlines are always shortened. Sometimes because of lack of space, and probably sometimes to grab attention, but it was explained in detain in the story.
Mikey's blog
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