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West Virginia Reported Missing During Water Rescue
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A firefighter attempting a water rescue in a flooded area of southern West Virginia was missing Saturday after his boat capsized, emergency officials said.
Laverne Stout, operations officer for the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said a woman also was reported missing in the Raleigh County floodwaters. She had no further details, and Raleigh County emergency officials did not immediately return a phone message.
Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper said a group of firefighters from the county was sent to the area near Beckley to assist with water rescues Saturday morning. He said a boat carrying the firefighters flipped, and one of the men never surfaced. The National Guard was assisting in the search.
Many areas of West Virginia are under water because of steady rain and melting snow. Gov. Joe Manchin has declared a state of emergency for 34 counties.
Stout said the most significant flooding was in the southern counties of Raleigh, Greenbrier, Fayette and Mercer. She said dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes, and 31 were staying in emergency shelters. State highway officials reported dozens of roads closed because of high water.
Jason Franklin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said 1 to 3 inches of rain fell across the southern part of the state Friday night into Saturday. The Bluestone River southeast of Beckley hit a record 17.18 feet at 4 a.m., surpassing the previous high of 15.82 feet in April 1977. Flood stage is 10 feet.
Other rivers were nearing flood stage. Fans attending the girls basketball championships at the Charleston Civic Center were advised to keep their cars out of the parking lot adjacent to the Elk River, which was rising at the rate of several inches per hour and expected to flood the lot.
Minor to moderate flooding was forecast along other rivers and small streams in the southern and eastern parts of the state, but northern West Virginia was largely spared because it got less rain and snow melt than had been expected, Franklin said.
Related
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Laverne Stout, operations officer for the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said a woman also was reported missing in the Raleigh County floodwaters. She had no further details, and Raleigh County emergency officials did not immediately return a phone message.
Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper said a group of firefighters from the county was sent to the area near Beckley to assist with water rescues Saturday morning. He said a boat carrying the firefighters flipped, and one of the men never surfaced. The National Guard was assisting in the search.
Many areas of West Virginia are under water because of steady rain and melting snow. Gov. Joe Manchin has declared a state of emergency for 34 counties.
Stout said the most significant flooding was in the southern counties of Raleigh, Greenbrier, Fayette and Mercer. She said dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes, and 31 were staying in emergency shelters. State highway officials reported dozens of roads closed because of high water.
Jason Franklin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said 1 to 3 inches of rain fell across the southern part of the state Friday night into Saturday. The Bluestone River southeast of Beckley hit a record 17.18 feet at 4 a.m., surpassing the previous high of 15.82 feet in April 1977. Flood stage is 10 feet.
Other rivers were nearing flood stage. Fans attending the girls basketball championships at the Charleston Civic Center were advised to keep their cars out of the parking lot adjacent to the Elk River, which was rising at the rate of several inches per hour and expected to flood the lot.
Minor to moderate flooding was forecast along other rivers and small streams in the southern and eastern parts of the state, but northern West Virginia was largely spared because it got less rain and snow melt than had been expected, Franklin said.
Related
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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Been following this story for several hours. Prayers have gone out for this missing Brother. Just keeping my fingers crossed now...
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Permalink Reply by BALLPEIN on
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God be with the Brothers of southern WV. Hope and Prayers go out to all that are helping in the area to find the missing firefighter near Beaver,WV. God Be with all of you.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Does anyone know if the firefighters involved were trained in swiftwater rescue?
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I do Believe they were. But I cant say for sure. There are alot of small depts with swift water training down there. The news had said debree hit the boat and knocked the steering out and they got caught under a bridge. The bridge is not all that low but there was alot of water in the area. I worked down there just a few hunderd feet from were it happen our station was right on the creek, from what I see in the pics it was the worst I've ever seen but I work down there for 3 years so that really doesnt say much. I talked to one of the guys and he said the pics that they put up did not do it any justice on how high the water was.
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Do you know anything about the nature of the rescue mission in which they were engaged?
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Not sure. I got to talk to them for just a few minutes due to working on the ambulance. Didnt really get to talk to them in depth.
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Any word on the missing firefighter?
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Permalink Reply by Rusty Mancini on
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My prayers are with him.
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Permalink Reply by Anita King on
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Hey guys, this is the latest update from WVVA in Bluefield, WV. They are supposed to post updates as they are available. www.wvva.com
UPDATE:
The search continues Sunday morning for a rescue worker who was swept away by flood waters on Saturday. WVVA has a crew on the scene and will bring the latest as it becomes available.
The search continues for a rescue worker who was swept away by flood waters in Beaver.
Officials have not released the name of the man.
We do know that he's member of the Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department in Kanawha County.
The man is also on the Swift Water Rescue Team.
He came to Beaver to help residents who were stranded.
"They rescued ten or twelve people and then their boat flipped on them. Something submerged and it messed up their prop and they lost their power and then the boat flipped and two out of the three we're able to get to safety and one we're still trying to locate. " explains Governor Joe Manchin.
Crews did locate a life vest about a mile down the river.
Members of Glasgow Fire Department tell us the search will continue at daybreak on Sunday.
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Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on
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Too close to home! My thoughts and prayers go out to the ff, his family, and friends
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Permalink Reply by mark Stiefer on
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Yes they were trained and are the Kanawha county swift water rescue team. they were assisting the beaver fire swift water team. they were trying to get to a family of four when the boat capsized and the other to was able to get to saftey.
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