The Richmond Fire Department rescued 19 people from their vehicles on Wednesday after scattered storms moving through the region caused flash flooding in central Virginia.
“It’s been a busy evening for our WR Team,” the department said on Twitter. The tweet said that between 4:27 and 5:22 p.m., the team was dispatched to more than a dozen vehicle in high water calls and rescued 17 people. Then a couple hours later, at 7:51 p.m., they rescued two more people.
“They have done some incredible work,” the tweet said.
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Several flood advisories and warnings were issued Wednesday because slow-moving storms and scattered thunderstorms have been forecast for Thursday.
Emergency officials are reminding drivers to “turn around and don't drown.”
Augustine Doe, Swansboro Civic Association president, told WWBT-TV that flash flooding on Richmond’s south side is nothing new but added “I’ve noticed that there’s been work done on it quite recently so it recedes faster than ever."
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Even with the work that has been done on the drainage issues, Doe said the city still has a long way to go on fixing the problem.
“I’d like to see a warning system that highlights and warns drivers and motorists that when the water reaches a certain level you can not go through,” Doe said.
