HOUSTON \u2013 A body was discovered in Brays Bayou near MacGregor Park on Wednesday just days after witnesses reported seeing a woman struggling in the water before being swept away the previous Friday during a storm. <\/p>\n
The body was found roughly 10 miles downstream, though the medical examiner has not yet confirmed whether the two cases are connected.<\/p>\n
Mario Badillo, a member of Houston Fire Department\u2019s Technical Rescue Team, said crews used boats, thermal imaging devices and light sticks in their search, and still came up empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was raining, cold, wet. It was miserable, but my priority is to find somebody,\u201d Badillo said.<\/p>\n
Badillo said the speed of the water during the storm made the search even more difficult and explains how someone could travel miles downstream in a short amount of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe conditions were moving really fast in Brays \u2014 probably about 15 mph,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bayous are designed to move water fast, and that\u2019s the danger<\/p>\n
Houston\u2019s bayous are engineered to drain water out of neighborhoods quickly after heavy rain. But that same design \u2014 deep channels, steep concrete walls, strong currents and slippery surfaces \u2014 can make it nearly impossible to escape once someone falls in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can\u2019t swim, game over. It\u2019d be hard for me to even swim in that water without a personal flotation device,\u201d Badillo said.<\/p>\n
Rescuers say people should never underestimate how fast conditions in the bayous can change.<\/p>\n
The rain doesn\u2019t have to be local to be dangerous<\/p>\n
KPRC2 Meteorologist Justin Stapleton said the threat isn\u2019t always about how much rain falls \u2014 it\u2019s about how quickly it falls and how many parts of the bayou system get hit at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat part of Brays Bayou was picking up at least three and a half to almost four inches…but downstream was too…that\u2019s where you run into danger.\u201d Stapleton said.<\/p>\n
Hidden hazards beneath the surface<\/p>\n
Even for strong swimmers, the bayous present dangers that can\u2019t always be seen. Tree roots, floating debris and bridge columns can trap someone underwater within seconds.<\/p>\n
Badillo said awareness of every one of the risks is critical.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother nature is an equalizing force. Don\u2019t ever underestimate her,\u201d he said. \u201cStay away from the Bayou when it rains, on high land. If you see white caps, you know the water is moving fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
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