Posted: 12/6/05
Iowa man spends chilly night on river bottoms
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
An Iowa man survived a cold night in the river bottoms about five miles south of New Albin, Iowa, on December 3.
Chris Nosbisch, 28, of Burlington, IA, became lost that day while deer hunting. Temperatures dipped to about zero that night.
The New Albin Fire Department was notified that Nosbisch had not returned from hunting at about 7 p.m. Saturday night. The department led a search party consisting of many agencies throughout the night. The agencies searched by ground and air until 5:30 a.m. the next morning with no success.
The search resumed at 7 a.m., and at approximately 10 a.m., Allamakee County Sheriffís officers and emergency management personnel located Nosbisch within the perimeter of the search.
Nosbisch was examined by the New Albin Fire Department EMTs and Gundersen Clinic MedLink personnel. He was then transported to Gundersen Lutheran in LaCrosse and is in stable condition, according to Allamakee County Sheriff Tim Heiderscheit.
More than 100 people helped in the search, including members of the New Albin Fire, Sheriff, and Police Departments; Eitzen, Spring Grove, Brownsville, and Caledonia Fire Departments; and the Houston County Sheriffís Posse.
Other agencies included Lansing Police, Iowa DNR, Allamakee County Emergency Management, Lansing Fire Department, Waterville Fire Department, Harpers Ferry Fire Department, Waukon Fire and Ambulance, Decorah and Ridgeway Fire Department, Winneshiek County Emergency management.
Air search was conducted by Gundersen Clinic MedLink and Iowa Civil Air Patrol. The Red Cross provided food for the searchers.
ìWe had all of the mutual aid that we could possibly get,î New Albin Fire Department Chief Linus Ott said.
Ott estimated that they searched an area three miles by five miles in size. It was centered on an area where Nosbisch was last seen. Nosbischís two hunting buddies showed searchers where that was.
Searchers worked in an easterly and northerly direction toward the river. Nosbisch came came out a little north of where rescuers were on Sunday morning, Ott said. He was heading west toward the highway when he was found.
ìHe was in excellent shape for the length of time he was down in there,î Ott said. Nosbisch did not have matches, a light or a compass.
ìHe was lucky,î Ott said.
Ott said the search went perfectly. It was the biggest search his department has ever conducted. ìWe had people lost in the islands before but it wasnít as big of an area.î
The terrain is full of sloughs and marshes. ìSome of our crew came out wet and stuff,î Ott said.
All searchers has flashlights on Saturday night, and on Sunday everyone had to wear blaze orange.
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