'Heartbreaking outcome': Body of 12-year-old swept away by floodwaters in Virginia found
"This is a heartbreaking outcome," Albemarle County Fire Rescue Chief Dan Eggleston said.
From Florida up to Pennsylvania, soaking storms left a mark on May 13, slamming parts of Maryland and Virginia especially hard.
Search and rescue have crews found the body of a 12-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters Tuesday evening in Albemarle County, Virginia.
The body of the boy, identified by police as Jordan Sims, was located Wednesday morning in the area he was last seen before he disappeared in floodwaters during heavy rainfall.
"This is a heartbreaking outcome, and our hearts are with the Sims' family and loved ones," Albemarle County Fire Rescue Chief Dan Eggleston said in a news release. "We are incredibly grateful to our local and regional partners who supported this search effort with urgency, professionalism, and care."
Emergency crews were dispatched early Tuesday evening to the area of Newtown Road and Valley Green Drive—about 20 miles west of Charlottesville—after receiving a 911 call reporting that the boy had been overtaken by rapidly rising water from a nearby creek that had flooded the roadway.
After more than three hours of intensive water operations, Albemarle County Fire Rescue said the search was paused due to limited visibility and safety concerns for the rescue personnel.
Days of storms are leading to serious problems in the mid-Atlantic.
This incident occurred amid flash flooding across parts of Virginia, western Maryland and Pennsylvania, following heavy rainfall on Tuesday. In Westernport, Maryland, approximately 150 students and 50 staff members were evacuated from Westernport Elementary School by boat as floodwaters reached the school's second floor. Emergency responders conducted 15 boat trips to safely transport everyone to higher ground. Additional evacuations and shelter-in-place orders were issued for other schools in the region
Residents are urged not to attempt their own search efforts as conditions remain hazardous.
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