Two people rescued from water-surrounded vehicle

Several agencies were called to help with a water rescue of two people in northern Bollinger County on Monday morning.

Two people attempting to cross a floodwater-covered low-water bridge were trapped in their vehicle as it started to slide off the road.

Mark Starnes, battalion chief of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, said a team of five people from the department's special operations team responded to the call on County Road 200, near Highway 51, north of Patton, Missouri.

They arrived on scene about 8:15 a.m. -- nearly 45 minutes after the time of the initial call -- and both occupants still were in the vehicle.

Four members of the department in water-rescue gear walked a boat to the vehicle, where the two occupants got on and were walked back to safety.

"The water never got over waist-deep where they were at," Starnes said.

Still, he said, the road was covered, and the water "was very swift."

A foot of water will float many vehicles, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and two feet of rushing water can carry away most.

As little as six inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult, the agency says on its website.

Once the two occupants were returned to safety, ambulances from Perry County checked their well-being. Starnes said one occupant, a woman, complained of leg pain and shortness of breath.

Other agencies on the scene included the North Bollinger County Fire Protection District and the Missouri State Highway Patrol water patrol division. Teams and volunteers set up at different points around the flooded area, Starnes said, as they tried to rescue the couple.

"There were numerous volunteers from Bollinger County, some from Perry County," he said. "All in all, where we were at -- and there were others staged at other areas -- not counting [the Cape Girardeau Fire Department team], there were another eight individuals."

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

County Road 200, Bollinger County, Mo.