DNR Officials Warn You About Being Safe on Area Water, Water is Still High in Many Areas

WITZ Radio News is an affiliate of Network Indiana

AREA WIDE -- Rivers, creeks and reservoirs are swollen. Water is rushing and it's dangerous. The Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources is asking you to stay off of moving water, and to make smart decisions about fishing and water recreation.

"Since Thursday we've had four people go missing in the water," said Capt. Jet Quillen, public information officer with DNR Law Enforcement. "Each circumstance was different for each of them." He said two of them were in canoes and one was in a kayak.

"Obviously the water levels...are gonna be high. We are urging the public to assess that before you go. If it's moving water, a stream or river, and it's at elevated levels, we're asking you not to go on those. And, if you do decide to go on those, please wear your life jackets."

Quillen said a life jacket can mean the difference between living or dying if you get caught in current.

"Each one of them (the people who went missing) and were not wearing them. Obviously we promote life jacket safety. It's proven they do save lives," said Quillen.

He said life jackets are no longer as bulky as they used to be and some inflate automatically.

"They inflate immediately once the pressure changes. Once you go under the surface of the water, the pressure doubles. So, that change in pressure immediately makes those inflate."

Quillen said it's a good idea to wear a life jacket even when you are fishing from the bank.

"The dangers are always there. The majority of our drowning victims are adults and most of them are considered, what we get from interviews, strong swimmers," he said.

Quillen said good judgment around water and avoiding bad situations could save your life.