Congregation told: “It’s better than you don’t understand.”

Yesterday crews on the Chattooga River discovered a new area underneath Sockem-Dog Rapid that even some river guides didn’t know existed.“Lower flows allowed us to search in some areas of Sockem-Dog that we hadn’t been able to see with a camera before,” said Incident Commander Buck Haney. “This is a brand new area for the search team to explore so we’re going back there with cameras today.” Two new search dogs from Georgia will also join the effort today. Last night, many members of the local recovery team attended a prayer vigil at Long Creek Baptist Church in Long Creek, S.C. On behalf of the Incident Team that is starting day ten in efforts to rescue and recover Mr. Hill, U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer Michelle Burnett thanked the community for its support. “Since we arrived, the people of Oconee County and the Long Creek community have welcomed us with open arms and have stepped up and provided support beyond measure,” said Burnett. “We have felt the prayers of many during this event, but this public display of support goes above and beyond anything we could have ever envisioned.” Scott Krein, emergency management director for Oconee County, also thanked the community. Referring to the specifics of the body recovery efforts, an emotional Krein told the congregation, “It’s better that you don’t understand.” Members of the Hill family visited the recovery site and attended the prayer vigil yesterday. The U.S. Forest Service is asking all paddlers to take their craft out of the river and walk around Sockem-Dog Rapid today to allow the search crew to work without interruption. Images of the recovery effort can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chattoconeenf. Video of last night’s vigil can be found at https://www.yousendit.com/download/WFJXcXlrMVhFc0pwdmNUQw