Re: How not to Drown
What's even worse is that this story is in regard to only one of a number of incidents in the river during that time period.
The other items that I am aware of are -
One reported sighting of a person in the water somewhere near the Coast Guard's radio transmission site in Gretna, which is right across the river from New Orleans. When I talked to the CG last, there was no confirmation of exactly where the person might be and attempts to recontact the individual who made the radio call to them were unsuccessful.
A woman in the water near the Canal Street ferry. She was recovered by a commercial vessel in the river. She claimed that another person - a 14 year old girl - had been with her. Vessels searched for the girl for several days to no avail. The first person was apparently very drunk and/or high, so it is not known if the 2nd person even existed.
A report of a person in the water near some wharfs just down-river of the French Quarter. I saw a CG helo looking for this person but am not sure of the outcome.
The body of an unknown woman recovered from the river after being sighted by a passenger on the Canal Street ferry. Her body was recovered and taken to the coroner's office, where it was determined that she had most likely been dead for months and could not have been any of the other persons recently reported.
A male fisherman who drowned in Lake Ponchartrain after jumping into the lake for a swim. According to the friend that was in the boat with him, he began to have difficulty swimming very quickly and disappeared under the surface. His body was recovered the next day by dragging the bottom.
