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Water rescue squad an asset for county

By Staff | Mar 21, 2001

One day in the future, it’s likely a newly formed water rescue team will save the lives of Leavenworth County residents.

A total of 12 men and two women all of whom already volunteer their time on township fire departments make up the team. The group last week helped a rural Leavenworth County couple from their home, which was threatened by the rising waters of Stranger Creek.

The team’s trainer, Dave Couvelha, said the rescue was exactly why the team was formed a year ago.

It makes sense for the county to have a team, considering that the Kansas and Missouri rivers border the county and that creeks, including Stranger, are prone to flooding.

Team members have secured some donations about $1,200 for equipment. And the group has a truck, where team members can stow their gear and haul the boat the group uses. The boat actually is owned by the Leavenworth County sheriff’s department.

The boat is a wonderful asset to the county. But it needs a larger motor which comes with a $3,500 price tag. A powerful enough motor is essential to the team if it is to successfully navigate in swiftly moving water.

The team members deserve county residents’ admiration for their forethought in forming the team and their bravery in participating on the team.

Water rescue squad gets workout

By Lisa Scheller - | Mar 21, 2001

lisa scheller/mirror photo

Members of the Leavenworth County Water Rescue and Technical Services Team wade through water as help Kathy Duarte, who was stranded in her home Thursday when Stranger Creek spilled out of its banks. Duarte and her husband, and their dog, Willow, were removed from their home, just south of McIntyre Road, by the newly formed rescue squad.

As rain fell Wednesday night, Larry Duarte worried about his parents.

He was concerned the Leavenworth County couple would be stranded at their rural home, perched along Stranger Creek, just north of McIntyre Road.

As it turned out, Duarte was right. The road leading to his parents’ home flooded. Because his parents have no telephone, Duarte tried to find a boat to reach the house. But he was unsuccessful.

So Thursday afternoon he called the sheriff’s office, which, in turn, sent out a call to the county’s new water rescue team.

Several team members answered the call, and they waded nearly a half-mile sometimes in waist-deep floodwaters to reach Leonard and Kathy Duarte. They then brought the couple, along with the couple’s dog, to safety.

“It worried me at first when they said they didn’t see their car,” Larry Duarte said. “I wondered if they went down the stream trying to get out of there.”

But the couple were safe, and were more than happy to leave their island home.

“We didn’t know the creek was coming up last night,” Kathy Duarte said, seated in the warmth of her son’s van.

The rescue effort, at times, was frightening, she said.

“I was afraid that somebody was going to fall into the creek,” she said of rescue workers, trying to manage in the swift current.

“This time was totally different from the last time,” he said, watching on Thursday as the rescue team made its way to his parents’ home.

“They wanted to be secluded. It’s secluded now. It’s an island.”

The Duartes returned to their home after the water subsided.

Dave Couvelha, training officer for the all-volunteer team, said rescuers had some difficulty with the current.

“It was flowing right across that driveway, and it was flowing like a mad dog,” he said.

Couvelha was pleased at the results of Thursday’s rescue.

“It’s what we’re here for,” he said. “That’s why we created the team.”