Warren County Emergency Management emphasizing awareness of flag warning system on creeks

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – As remnants of Hurricane Barry make their way inland, heavy rainfall is expected to hit various regions East of the Mississippi River, including Warren County, Ky.

Local emergency management wants to ensure that with the increased rainfall in the area, outdoor adventurers, especially those voyaging out on nearby rivers, stay safe when they do so.

That’s why Warren County Emergency Management has a flag warning system in place.

“We will see an increase in water flow and the turbulence in the water,” said Travis Puckett, deputy director with Warren County Emergency Management.

WCEM is urging kayakers and canoers to pay closer attention to the flag warning system that can be found at Phil Moore Park and Romanza Johnson Park where water enthusiasts launch boats into Drakes Creek.

“The red flag means do not go,” added Puckett. “Just like a stop light – don’t go.”

Each colored flag – green, yellow and red – represent a different hazard level.

A green flag means that water conditions are calm and there is low hazard level for boats on the river.

A yellow flag indicates medium hazard and advises people who do go out on the water to use caution.

A red flag, though, means boats should not be out on the water, period.

With heavy amounts of rain expected through the end of the week, the red flag won’t be coming down until the rivers calm back to a normal flow.

“It just depends on the weather and how the creeks flow,” Puckett said.

It might not seem like much, but a single inch of rain can be the difference between the green flag or red flag being raised.

“It only takes a foot to two feet of water to sweep you away,” said Puckett. “It doesn’t seem like much, but that amount of water flowing that fast will sweep you away before you know it.”

On Sunday, a father and his 10-year-old son were nearly swept away in Drakes Creek after their kayak overturned. They didn’t heed the flag warning system and embarked on a river that had hazardous water conditions, putting their own lives, and the lives of the rescue teams, at risk.

“It’s unsafe,” Puckett said. “That’s why the flags are there.”

In an attempt to remind people to follow this system, Warren County Emergency Management has a simple motto: Turn around, don’t drown.

“It’s kind of a corny phrase, but everybody hears turn around don’t drown, it’s something they remember,” said Puckett.

It’s also a state law to wear a life vest or personal flotation device whenever taking a boat out on a waterway.