It cost over $6,000 to rescue roughly 1,500 Americans who unexpectedly floated into Canadian territory Sunday, and the city of Sarnia, Ontario, is likely going to have to pay police, firefighters and transit workers.
In all, 10 city buses made 19 trips to help the stranded American floaters get back to the border.
A lot of the rescuers had to work overtime, and even after the Americans were gone, a lot of trash needed to be picked up.
During the annual float trip, participants travel down the St. Clair River. The plan is always to stay on the Michigan side of the river, but this time, strong winds blew many floaters into an illegal border crossing.
The Port Huron Float Down event is unsponsored, and without a sponsor, the city's mayor doesn't have a clear organization or person to charge.
Charging the people who needed to be rescued could've been one option, but most arrived on shore without any money or identification.
But Sarnia may get help after all. A Michigan man, who didn't need to be rescued, started a GoFundMe account to supplement the costs. So far, the effort has raised more than $4,000.
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