Chattooga Recovery Crews remain Committed

Recovery crews set out this morning on day seven of search, rescue and recovery efforts for the body of Thomas Hill of Tampa, Florida who fell from a raft last Wednesday afternoon on the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River.  Two search dogs from Georgia, as well as an additional underwater camera are joining the search for Mr. Hill. Incident Commander Scott Loftis said, “The Greenville County Sheriff’s Department will be searching from the air today.   The operation is also using South Carolina Fire Fighter Mobilization, which is supplying resources from Cowpens, Laurens and Greenville for operations.”  On Monday, crews had to cut the search effort short because of threatening weather and equipment issues.  Chief Loftis said, “The recovery crew remains committed to conducting work safely and returning Mr. Hill to his wife and children.”  Crews will start at Sockem Dog Rapid again today and work their way down the river in areas where Mr. Hill’s body could be located.  Rabun, Pickens and Oconee counties, the U.S. Forest Service, Clemson University, commercial outfitter guides, the American Red Cross and Sherwin-Williams continue to support the recovery effort.