Search Resumes for Missing 5-Year-Old Caught in California Floods

Rescuers resumed searching on Tuesday for a 5-year-old boy who was swept away by fast-rising floodwaters in Central California the day before. Officials in San Luis Obispo County said they hoped a reprieve in the ongoing storms would allow them to locate the child before the next band of rain.

The authorities identified the missing boy as Kyle Doan, describing him as four feet tall and 52 pounds, with short, dirty blond hair and hazel eyes. He was carried away from a car on Monday morning when his mother drove across a surging creek near the town of San Miguel, the county sheriff’s office said.

His mother was rescued by nearby residents, but the boy disappeared with fast-moving waters down a creek that feeds into the Salinas River, officials said.

Rescuers were forced to suspend their search on Monday afternoon, about five hours after the boy was swept away, because weather conditions made it too dangerous. They resumed on Tuesday morning at about 10:30 a.m.

The rescue teams included divers and detectives, drones and helicopters that were scouring a broad area for the child, said Tony Cipolla, a sheriff’s office spokesman. Water was still raging down the creek where he disappeared, making it tough to gauge how far the boy may have been downstream, he said. The creek had been dry for years before the recent storms.

The boy was wearing a black puffer jacket, blue jeans, and blue and gray Nike tennis shoes when he was swept away, officials said.

Central California was among the hardest hit by the storms on Monday, with hillsides collapsing on highways and flooded rivers and creeks. Another motorist drowned in the county on Monday. Forecasters said showers would continue in the San Luis Obispo area on Tuesday afternoon, with winds gusting up to 45 miles per hour.