Helicopter rescues 4 people stranded atop vehicle in raging Arizona creek as severe storms slam Southwest
The National Weather Service said repeated heavy rainfall from thunderstorms caused Wet Beaver Creek to rise nearly 4 feet.
Four rescued after vehicle swept away in Arizona flood
Four people were rescued from the roof of a vehicle after powerful floodwaters swept it downstream near Wet Beaver Creek in Yavapai County, Arizona. Repeated heavy rainfall from thunderstorms caused the creek to rise nearly 4 feet, triggering life-threatening flash flooding.
THE TAKEAWAY
- 4 people were rescued from a vehicle swept away by Arizona floodwaters.
- DPS Ranger helicopter crews airlifted the stranded occupants to safety.
- Heavy thunderstorms caused Wet Beaver Creek to rise nearly 4 feet.
RIMROCK, AZ. – 4 people were rescued by helicopter in Rimrock, Arizona, after repeated rounds of heavy rain from severe thunderstorms caused Wet Beaver Creek in Yavapai County to rise nearly 4 feet Thursday.
Strong, fast-moving currents swept a white SUV downstream, forcing four passengers onto its roof before they were rescued by an Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Unit helicopter.
Four people were stranded on the vehicle’s roof after it was swept downstream by powerful floodwaters.
(Yavapai County Sheriff's Office)
Viral video captured the tense rescue as raging floodwaters surged below while a rescuer was lowered from a helicopter to retrieve one of the four stranded people.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded around 3:15 p.m. on Oct. 22, to reports of people stranded in a rapidly rising riverbed near East Dragonshead Road and Culpepper Ranch Road.
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Deputies arrived at the Wet Beaver Creek crossing and determined that extremely strong currents had carried the vehicle downstream.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Air Rescue Unit was dispatched to Wet Beaver Creek on Thursday after a vehicle was swept downstream.
(Yavapai County Sheriff's Office / FOX Weather)
The National Weather Service said repeated heavy rainfall from thunderstorms caused Wet Beaver Creek to rise nearly 4 feet, triggering life-threatening flash flooding in Yavapai County, Arizona.
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After searching the hazardous, heavily flooded area on foot, deputies located the vehicle about 150 feet downstream with all four occupants stranded on its roof.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said all four stranded people were rescued by helicopter.
(Yavapai County Sheriff's Office)
Deputies obtained the vehicle’s exact GPS coordinates and relayed the location to a DPS Ranger helicopter.
Guided by the coordinates, the helicopter crew conducted an aerial extraction and safely rescued all four people.