26 October 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The heavy rain and rising Arkansas River caused a potentially dangerous situation in south Wichita on Wednesday because there are several homeless encampments along and in the river.
During the drought, walking to the raised areas in the river can be easy. But with the rain pouring down the way it did Wednesday, the WFD said the river rose about five feet, turning those raised areas into islands again.
Wichita Firehouse 19, near 43rd Street South and Broadway, notified the WFD Rescue Company that the river was rising rapidly and people might be trapped in the homeless encampments.
Transients under the Johnny Mack Bridge near Pawnee and Broadway also said people might still be in the encampment on one of the islands.
WFD Rescue Company members suited up in swift water suits to check the island. They had a boat in case they needed to evacuate anyone.
Rescue crews approach a homeless encampment on the river in south Wichita on Oct. 25, 2023. (Courtesy Wichita Fire Department)
The WFD said the flow and speed of the water was dangerous at the time. The rescuers did not find anyone on the island, but they did not stop there. They checked along the three-mile stretch of the river that has the highest number of homeless encampments. They did not find any other areas that needed evacuations.
The rescue crews were not injured.