RICHMOND, Va. -- Du Cheng and his four-year-old son Quinn had their summer Monday plans made for them, courtesy of the Mighty James.
“I told him the James River was flooding; do you want to go see? He was like ‘Yeah, I want to go see it!” Cheng said, as Quinn clung to him. “Water’s pretty high.”
Officials warned people to not enter the James River Monday because heavy rains in Richmond and to the west caused the river to swell to flood stage, peaking at just over 13 feet.
Even as the water level began lowering Monday evening, Richmond Fire crews were called out to a possible rescue situation, highlighting the dangers for even experienced river users.
When the James River is above nine feet, only “expert” users are allowed on the water, and even that is discouraged.
“If you get caught in the current and there are logs in the water, if you flip over and it drags you down then things can get real nasty, real fast,” Cheng said.
Captain Alex Farber, with Richmond Fire, responds to river rescuers for the department.
He was called out to the call Monday evening but spoke to CBS 6 well before about the dangers they encounter.
“There are trees, barrels, all kinds of construction debris: you name it; it’s in there. Worst yet, you can see there is no visibility in the water, so there’s stuff below the water as well,” Farmer said.
“Yesterday at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, I think the water was about six feet, by nine o’clock at night it was already at ten feet. It was rising almost a foot an hour. It might look okay here, the weather might be okay here, but 60-70 miles west of here there could be torrential rain that could lead to a sudden change of conditions out there.”
It’s important to remember that water level is only one measure of the danger on the James. Cpt. Farmer said water velocity and volume give the river its power.
“The normal routes people usually take aren’t available, the water is moving quickly, things are moving much faster than usual, just generally very hazardous,” he said.
“We want you to be safe. The water is powerful; you just don’t know what it can do until sometimes it’s too late,” said Giles Garrison, the Superintendent of the James River Park.
Garrison said Monday morning she encountered a family looking like they wanted to swim in the river. She politely told them Monday was not the best day.
“They were a little disappointed, but they understood. If we could be on site and tell everybody person to person, I know the message would go over well because we really say it out of concern for folks,” Garrison said.
Parks employees have installed new, highly visible flip signs at 13 of the most popular put-in points along the James near Richmond. Garrison said they can be lifesavers if people pay attention to them.
“People are just looking to have a good time. They’re not necessarily going to check social media just because they’re going to the river,” she said. “For me, those are really important because they’re always right next to the put-in. It is the last thing you’ll see before you get into the water.”
Before heading to the river, both Garrison and Cpt. Farmer said anyone heading to the river should check the levels before heading out. You can do so through the National Weather Service, James River Outfitters, or the Instagram account “How’s the James RVA.”
Cheng is a doctor and hopes people heed the warnings until the James River calms down a tad.
“I have a small boat, we go out fishing, take the kids tubing,” Dr. Cheng said. “ It’s like the veins for the whole city, you know. It brings life through the city. It’s where you gather, where all the history ties in.”
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