Woman loses arm when strong winds overturn houseboat on Lake Powell

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Waterbaby

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http://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/09/...rong-winds-overturn-houseboat-on-lake-powell/

Woman loses arm when strong winds overturn houseboat on Lake Powell
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By Mariah Noble
· 2 hours ago
A 60-year-old woman lost an arm and several others were injured Thursday afternoon after strong winds blew over houseboat at Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border.

About 1 p.m. Thursday, multiple calls from different locations in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area reported a microburst — a rapid, powerful downdraft of wind — to dispatchers, said National Parks Service spokeswoman Mary Plumb.

The most severe injuries occurred when the microburst pushed a 75-foot houseboat carrying 14 people to shore and blew it over near Padre Canyon, Plumb said.


A 60-year-old woman on board suffered a severe arm injury that required amputation at a hospital, and a 57-year-old woman suffered head and hip injuries. Others were thrown off the boat by the draft.

Another person, near Gunsight, suffered a dislocated shoulder, Plumb said. Calls also came in from the Sand King and Lone Rock areas of the park, she said.

Several private water vessels also overturned during the microburst, Plumb said. Those with injuries were transported to Page Hospital in Page, Ariz.

While park officials were continuing to sort through the reports Thursday night, Plumb said that everyone involved had been assisted and accounted for.

Park officials are cautioning patrons to be ”very safety conscious” and “be aware” of the weather forecast, Plumb said. She noted that there‘d been some reports of severe weather on the north part of Lake Powell on Thursday night.


The National Weather Service says the 56 mph microburst swept through the region in about a minute accompanied by rain showers.

A news release from the Arizona’s Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said, ”The most serious water-related injuries and damage appear to have occurred in the Utah jurisdiction of the lake.”

Page police Lt. Larry Jones says the wind knocked down trees across the city, and damaged some fencing, roofing and signs.
 
I just read the comments section on KSL about this story.

sounds like there is an error on the story and the lady that lost her arm is 80 , not 60 .

Scary stuff
 
I just read the comments section on KSL about this story.

sounds like there is an error on the story and the lady that lost her arm is 80 , not 60 .

Scary stuff


Yes, here is the thread:

  • ScottyRock · 19 hours ago
    That's my dads boat. My grandma is actually 80 not 60 but oh well and my mom is in pretty bad shape as well. We are here at the hospital now with them.
    37
    rmoshier · 19 hours ago
    Looking at the positive, I'm sure your grandma won't mind that she was mistaken to be 60; we wish your family a full and speedy recovery!
    30
    ScottyRock · 7 hours ago
    Yeah she was being funny with the nurses and everyone about it all and worried about everyone else.
    1
    BLDRNR · 19 hours ago
    Best of Luck and Blessings to you and your family. We've been caught in those microbursts plenty of times at Lake Powell. Always kind of a scary place to be, and we would never go alone. Glad all is well.
    7
    Sarah N. · 18 hours ago
    I'm so sorry. I'm sure it was a scary experience. Hope your loved ones heal soon.
    9
    SandyScouter · 17 hours ago
    ScottyRock, I am sorry that your family's fun time together turned out to be a difficult trial. I hope your family will feel the love and support of the community to help you through this stressful time. I am sure that many prayers are being said in behalf of all of you. May the Lord bless you all with comfort and healing.
    4
    ScottyRock · 16 hours ago
    It's a miracle there were only a few injuries and my Grandma lost her arm. She's in great spirits at the hospital though. Definitely should've been a lot worse, listening to the stories from everyone and how the boat righted itself back up after tipping over onto the Howard speed boat.
    6
 
Our prayers are with gramma and family.
what a scary incident. So many of us have seen but not been injured. In our thoughts
 
I would have never imagined that a houseboat on Powell would capsize. Sounds like things could have been m much worse, although a upper extremity amputation isn't easy to overcome.
 
We were in Lake Canyon when the big winds hit. NPS came zooming in with lights flashing, and said that they had reports of an overturned houseboat in Lake Canyon. They never found it, and we went down every alley when the storm passed over, just to make sure. It was a good breeze, for sure.
 
I would have never imagined that a houseboat on Powell would capsize. Sounds like things could have been m much worse, although a upper extremity amputation isn't easy to overcome.


Actually it is not uncommon at all. Happened a couple of years ago with a rental boat in either Forgotten or Moqui - forget which one, but pictures were posted on here at the time.
 
I spoke to the husband of the victims at the AP dry dock on Thursday afternoon. He said that they were being Life Flight'd to St George as we spoke. He said the boat was 88 feet long.

Consider these factors:
  • It was 88 feet long.
  • Take a look at the picture and see the height of that boat, albeit on it's side.
  • Note the entirely enclosed upper deck with canvas/netting. That is a huge sail.
  • Factor in the reality that tractor-trailers are blown over routinely by the Santa Ana Winds on the freeways.
I have worked up some windage models in the past to attempt to determine wind force on our houseboat and it has nowhere near the surface area of that boat. My numbers say that blowing that boat over against a beach is no problem for Mother Nature. I guess I could be wrong though.

Goblin
 
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I don't remember that one. So, what happens? The boat breaks lose, gets pushed sideways onto shore, and then pushed over?


Greg may remember more on this, but if my memory serves it was a Kayot rental boat at anchor and the wind hit it broadside and flipped it over.

One thing about the old steel boats on Powell the wind had a harder time doing something like this, we were once above Bullfrog and it was dead calm when we anchored then what we refer to as a sirocco wind hit and in seconds - before we could react - had cleared everything off the top and lower decks of the boat and torn out the anchors and pushed it sideway to the beach. It was gone almost as soon as it hit, but we scrambled to pull everything out of the water and raise the engines so we could use one of our boats to pull the houseboat back around off the beach and re-anchor. Certainly had the blood pumping for a little while, that was for sure........ some of the boats on the lake today have a lot more broadside and more vulnerable to the sudden winds - heck in Davis Gulch one time we had one hit when we were camped in our Deck Boat. It went from calm to gale also in seconds - as late summer winds do at Powell, and we dropped out Bimini and literally rode the wind out standing in the water holding on to the boat to keep it off the beach. After an hour it stopped and the canyon was calm once more.
 
Greg may remember more on this, but if my memory serves it was a Kayot rental boat at anchor and the wind hit it broadside and flipped it over.

As I recall, it was tied up below where the upper forks come together and the jet effect just rolled it over, like, upside down!
 
http://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/09/...rong-winds-overturn-houseboat-on-lake-powell/

After her arm was severed in Lake Powell microburst, 80-year-old woman says ‘things happen’
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By Mariah Noble
· 4 days ago
A woman’s arm was severed and several other people were injured Thursday afternoon after strong winds blew over a houseboat at Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border.

About 1 p.m. Thursday, multiple callers in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area reported a microburst — a rapid, powerful downdraft of wind — to dispatchers, said National Parks Service spokeswoman Mary Plumb.

The most severe injuries occurred when the microburst pushed a 75-foot houseboat carrying 14 people to shore and blew it over near Padre Canyon, Plumb said.


Bruce King said in an email to The Tribune that he and family members were aboard his houseboat when the draft came.

Although initial reports indicated a 60-year-old woman had an arm amputated after the incident, King confirmed to The Tribune that his 80-year-old mother was the one who sustained the worst injury — a severed arm, while his 57-year-old wife suffered head and hip injuries. Others were thrown off the boat.

King said his mother’s arm was lost in the water and found Friday morning. But she “never lost consciousness and told those trying to stabilize her to go take care of the others.”

She was recovering in a St. George hospital Friday, King said, and tried to comfort her children by telling them, “Things happen.”

His wife also is doing OK, King said.


Another person, near Gunsight, suffered a dislocated shoulder, Plumb said. Calls also came in from the Sand King and Lone Rock areas of the park, she said.

Several private water vessels also overturned during the microburst, Plumb said. Those with injuries were transported to Page Hospital in Page, Ariz.

While park officials were continuing to sort through the reports Thursday night, Plumb said that everyone involved had been assisted and accounted for.

Park officials are cautioning patrons to be ”very safety conscious” and “be aware” of the weather forecast, Plumb said. She noted that there‘d been some reports of severe weather on the north part of Lake Powell on Thursday night.

The National Weather Service says the 56 mph microburst swept through the region in about a minute accompanied by rain showers.

A news release from the Arizona’s Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said, ”The most serious water-related injuries and damage appear to have occurred in the Utah jurisdiction of the lake.”


Page police Lt. Larry Jones says the wind knocked down trees across the city, and damaged some fencing, roofing and signs.

Contributing: The Associated Press
 
We talked to an NPS Ranger a couple of weeks after the incident in Moqui. She said was the first responder on site that year. She said the wind picked up the houseboat (a rental), turned it over and dropped it upside down. The only injury was a broken arm. She said Aramark had to bring in its salvage barge to turn it over and get it out. The Ranger was still a bit shook up.
 
We talked to an NPS Ranger a couple of weeks after the incident in Moqui. She said was the first responder on site that year. She said the wind picked up the houseboat (a rental), turned it over and dropped it upside down. The only injury was a broken arm. She said Aramark had to bring in its salvage barge to turn it over and get it out. The Ranger was still a bit shook up.


Thanks - that is how I remember the story that it was flipped totally upside down. Was very lucky the only injury was a broken arm. IMHO the old steel boats were not as vulnerable in these big storms as the lighterweight Kayot's. The kayots are more plush for sure..... but those old steel toons have their place.
 
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