California authorities will resume the search for a 5-year-old boy who went missing near San Miguel earlier this week and said it was a “top priority” for search and rescue teams.
Kyle Doan, a 5-year-old kindergarten student at Lillian Larsen Elementary School in San Miguel, was separated from his family Monday, January 9, after he was swept away by floodwaters in central California following days of torrential rains that caused disasters. flood.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said efforts to locate him will resume “first thing” Wednesday morning.
“Sheriff’s Office search and rescue operations continue to search for missing 5-year-old Kyle Doan. While he has not yet been located, the search remains our top priority as weather conditions permit. We will update the public with any information about it.” search,” the sheriff’s office said Tuesday.
CALIFORNIA FLOODS: SEARCH INTENSIFIES FOR LOST BOY KYLE DOAN WASHED AWAY BY RUNNING WATERS
Kyle Doan, a 5-year-old boy, has been missing since Monday, January 5, after floodwaters swept him away from the family vehicle.
(San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)
Search and rescue teams attempted to locate the 5-year-old boy Monday, but called off the search at approximately 3 p.m. due to rising Salinas River levels.
“Search operations had to be suspended after approximately five hours yesterday because extreme weather conditions made it unsafe for first responders to continue their efforts,” Tony Cipolla of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. a statement on Tuesday.
He added: “A break in heavy storms is allowing for today’s search, which will involve all available Sheriff’s Office resources, including the USAR (Underwater Search and Rescue) Team and air operations.”
Another search resumed Tuesday but was also called off due to dangerous conditions.
“However, conditions remain extremely dangerous. The water level is high and continues to move rapidly,” Cipolla said Tuesday morning.
Search and rescue teams continue to locate a shoe belonging to the missing 5-year-old Kyle Doan.
(San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)
CALIFORNIA BOY, 5, WASHED AWAY BY FLOODING WHILE MOTHER IS REMOVED FROM STRANDED TRUCK
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office has warned the public not to conduct their own searches.
“The public is strongly cautioned not to conduct searches on their own initiative and not put themselves in jeopardy and become a victim requiring resources that would otherwise be used for the search,” it added.
Kyle is described as having short dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. He is approximately four feet tall and weighs 52 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black puffer jacket with a red lining, blue jeans, blue and gray Nike sneakers, the sheriff’s office said.
He has not been declared dead.
“We always have hope, and we don’t want to take that hope away from the child’s parents either,” Cipolla told Fox News Digital.
DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS CONTINUE IN CALIFORNIA AS TENS OF THOUSANDS ARE FORCED TO EVACUATE
The superintendent of the San Miguel Joint Unified School District told The Tribune newspaper that they were “waiting for a miracle.”
Search teams continue to locate missing 5-year-old Kyle Doan, who was pulled from his family’s vehicle after it became stranded in floodwaters near San Miguel, California.
(San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office)
“Our staff is heartbroken by this tragedy,” Superintendent Karen Grandoli said Monday night. “I guess we’re still waiting for a miracle, but it’s not looking good.”
The boy disappeared Monday morning after a truck his mother was driving became stranded in floodwaters just before 8 a.m. near Paso Robles, according to Tom Swanson, deputy chief of the San Luis County Fire Department. Bishop/Cal Fire.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Bystanders helped get the mother out of the truck, but the child was pulled from the vehicle and swept downriver by floodwaters, Swanson told the Associated Press.
Flooding in California has left at least 17 dead and more than 200,000 homes and businesses without power. Thousands of California residents remain under flood warnings.
Fox News’ Greg Norman and Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.
