Photo: Jay Reeves/AP/Shutterstock
At least four people have died after flash flooding broke out in Alabama on Wednesday evening.
The Marshall County Coroner’s Office announced on Thursday morning thattwo people had been confirmed deadin the county.A 4-year-old girl died at at Haynes Road & Hickory Hill Road in Arab, and her body was recovered around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday night, according to authorities. The body of an 18-year-old woman was also recovered around 7 a.m. on Thursday.“We are working with law enforcement and fire personnel on both incidents to ensure the families have been notified,” the coroner’s office stated. “No additional information can be released at this time.”
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Rescue crews searched overnight for a man and a woman, both 23, who were trapped inside a vehicle that was swept away in the “unprecedented” flash floods.
In a Thursday morning press briefing, Hoover Fire Battalion Chief Duane Prater stated that on Wednesday night, a vehicle containing two occupants was “picked up and pinned against a guardrail,” preventing the passengers from exiting.“Fire crews arrived on the scene but were unable to access the occupants due to the swift water and the location of the vehicle. Within a couple of minutes, the rushing water pushed the vehicle over the guardrail out of the sight of the responders,” Prater said. “Crews worked throughout the night but were unable to locate the vehicle or occupants.”
“At about 9:00 a.m. this morning, dive team members located the vehicle submerged in the water approximately 75-100 yards from where it went in,” Hoover police said in asubsequent update. “Both victims were located in the vehicle and were recovered.”
“Remember these two young people that lost their lives last night, but particularly remember their families as they deal with the tragic loss of these two young people,” officials noted in the press briefing.
Flash flooding began on Wednesday, with surrounding areas near Birmingham, such as Pelham and Hoover, being hit the hardest.
“Last night the city of Hoover experienced unprecedented intense rainfall that caused flash flooding in several areas of the city,” Prater stated in his press briefing Thursday morning, noting that some areas had “not experienced flash flooding in the last 20 years.”
TheNational Weather Servicenoted that portions central Alabama had already experienced heavy rainfall in recent days. Some areas saw as much as 13 inches of rain due to the storm, according toCBS47.The rainfall also caused an overflow of 250,000 gallons of wastewater from the sewage systems, officials told theAssociated Press.
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The National Weather Service in Birmingham warned residents of “life-threatening” rainfall with frequent updates on counties that should be on alert.
“Scanners are nonstop with calls for assistance. Please remain at home! Do not enter flood waters if you’re already out traveling,” the NWS Birminghamtweeted.
In another tweet, the weather servicecautioned, “MORE heavy rain (round 4 at least at this point) is forming & moving into areas already suffering from significant and life-threatening flooding. Scanner traffic indicate numerous water rescues from vehicles and homes & roads submerged.”
Theyadded, “Please remain weather aware even if your area doesn’t typically flood. This includes Birmingham and surrounding communities, southward to Pelham at this time.”
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As of 5:45 a.m., the Pelham Fire Departmentreportedgetting 281 calls for service and conducted 82 home rescues and 15-20 vehicle rescues. A total of 107 emergency responders from 15 agencies aided in the rescue, they said.
A flood warning remains in effect in central Alabama until 7 p.m. on Thursday.
source: people.com
