Helicopter arrives 'just in time,' rescuing couple from flooded van
Moisture-packed thunderstorms led to flooding across the drought-stricken Southwest this past week, resulting in multiple dramatic water rescues that were caught on camera.
First responders used a helicopter to save multiple people trapped by rising floodwaters in Las Vegas early in the morning of Sept. 14.
Thunderstorms packed with leftover moisture from Tropical Storm Kay dumped flooding downpours across the drought-stricken Southwest, resulting in multiple water rescues this week.
In Las Vegas, two people were rescued by a helicopter after their van became submerged in floodwaters during the early-morning hours on Wednesday. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), the couple had pulled off the highway to rest at around 2 a.m. local time. Just a short time after stopping and taking a quick rest, the couple awoke to floodwaters up to their chests.
"The Air Unit arrived just in time as the couple's van filled with water to about chest level," LVMPD wrote on Twitter. "They were safely hoisted out."
In a different video shared by the Moapa Valley Fire District, firefighters could be seen rescuing people from the dangerous floodwaters while a strike of lightning illuminated the sky above them.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a tractor-trailer driver was also rescued early Wednesday morning from the swift floodwaters.
Van mostly submerged in floodwaters outside Las Vegas on Tuesday, Sept. 14. (Las Vegas Metroplotention Police Department)
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning late Tuesday night for the extreme northwestern corner of Las Vegas, where most of the water rescues occurred.
According to the Regional Flood Control District, Skye Canyon Park, which is northwest of Las Vegas, measured 0.67 of an inch of rain, while other nearby rain gauges in that area measured 0.63 of an inch and 0.47 of an inch.
Rain gauges to the north and northwest of Las Vegas measured the most rainfall. According to the NWS office in Las Vegas, no precipitation was measured at the official regional measuring station at Harry Reid International Airport.
Typically, less than an inch of rain wouldn't create such dangerous conditions in some regions across the U.S., but the arid landscape was unable to absorb any of the rain, which led to the flash flood.
San Bernardino police officers released body cam footage of a dramatic rescue of a woman and her two children from fast-moving floodwaters on Sept. 11.
In fact, much of the Southwest is under a severe to extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. So while this region of the U.S. desperately needs rainwater to try to ease the drought, small amounts of rain can quickly result in life-threatening flash floods.
As moisture from Tropical Storm Kay rained down on the Southwest over the past weekend, flash floods and mudslides put many people in danger.
Bodycam footage from San Bernardino police showed the intense moments when officers rescued a mother and two children from a flash flood over the weekend. The fast-moving water rushed in so rapidly that it rose to the officers' knees.
In the video, one officer can be seen almost losing his balance in the swift current before two other officers lend their arms out to serve as an anchor point.
According to ABC7, everyone was safely rescued.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app.AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
