This past Sunday, at approximately 6:00 pm, Sioux County Conservation, the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, and Sioux County Emergency Management responded to a call for assistance on the Big Sioux River near Oak Grove Park involving four individuals in two canoes.
Sioux County Emergency Management Coordinator Ryan De Kruyf explains what happened when they got the 9-1-1 call.
Two individuals from a canoe ended up on a sandbar on the South Dakota side of the Big Sioux River, where Hudson Fire and Rescue aided them. The other two individuals were also able to reach shore, and then the focus shifted to one of the individuals on the sandbar.
Once that individual was brought to shore, Hawarden Ambulance transported them to Hawarden Regional Healthcare for treatment of low blood sugar.
Using the Emergency Management drone was a big key in helping locate the individuals on the water. De Kruyf talks about the process he went through to be able to fly the drone.
De Kruyf would like to see the use of drones expand in the future.
None of the individuals involved in the rescue was seriously hurt. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, Sioux County Conservation, Sioux County Emergency Management, Hudson Fire Department, and the Union County Sheriff’s Office all assisted at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office and De Kruyf thanked all responding agencies for their quick action and teamwork in ensuring a safe outcome.
