AHOSKIE, N.C. – A Coast Guard HH-60T rescue helicopter aircrew from Air Station Elizabeth City rescued two motorists, and assisted a third, who were trapped by flood waters Friday morning.
Coast Guard Sector North Carolina watchstanders received a call from the Assistant Director of Emergency Management for North Carolina at 6:06 a.m., requesting assistance for a stranded motorist whose car was washed off of Highway 561 and into the forest near Ahoskie by the flood waters.
The helicopter aircrew arrived on scene at 7:22 a.m. Due to tree coverage, the aircrew could not spot the stranded female motorist, but local land rescue units consisting of Harrellsville Fire Department, Hertford County Deputies and Emergency Medical Service personnel could hear the woman calling for help.
While rescue units responded, the aircrew was diverted to a stranded male motorist two miles to the east. The aircrew arrived on scene and safely hoisted the man off the back of his submerged pick-up truck.
The aircrew returned to the initial scene and landed in a nearby field to transfer the rescued man to waiting EMS personnel.
The aircrew was then diverted to assist a second male motorist stranded in flood waters six miles to the northeast. The aircrew arrived and safely hoisted the man from the water. The aircrew then landed the helicopter on a nearby road and transferred the man to an EMS unit.
The helicopter aircrew was en route to Air Station Elizabeth City for refueling when they received word from the local land rescue units that the stranded female motorist was being helped by a North Hampton County Swift Water Response Unit.
