Two people were rescued from the Milwaukee River on Sunday, April 19, after their kayak overturned following a historic month of rain and a week of flooded waterways in southeast Wisconsin.
The individuals are being treated at area hospitals, according to a release from the North Shore Fire/Rescue Department.
North Shore Fire/Rescue said they responded to the river near the 6500 block of North Milwaukee River Parkway in Glendale at approximately 3:04 p.m. for a report of two people in the river.
After the adult and child were ejected from the kayak in the river they made their way to an island in the river. That’s where crews found them standing when they arrived.
The North Shore Fire/Rescue and the Milwaukee Fire Department removed the individuals from the river. The two were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospitals for further assessment.
After widespread flooding, rainfall had caused elevated water levels and faster than normal currents, leading to hazardous conditions, the department said.
That’s why the North Shore Fire/Rescue is urging the public to use extreme caution when entering the river due to “unsafe, swift-moving water conditions.”
Eight Wisconsin rivers, including a part of the Milwaukee River, remain in a flood warning as of April 19 after a week of intense rainfall and severe weather.
The flood warning for the Milwaukee River in the Cedarburg area in Ozaukee County, north of where the kayakers tipped over, remains in effect until the morning of Tuesday, April 21.
At over 9 inches of rain this month, the City of Milwaukee has already set a record for the rainiest April on record, according to National Weather Service data dating to 1871.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two people rescued from Milwaukee River after kayak overturns
Reporting by Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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