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MOUNT AIRY, North Carolina (WXII) — Volunteer rescue crews in Mount Airy braved historic flooding over the weekend, risking their lives to save others as rapidly rising waters submerged streets and cars.
“This was the most historic storm of our time since at least 1979,” said Chief Corey Scearce of the Mount Airy Rescue Squad.
Rescue personnel faced immense challenges but managed to save around a dozen people trapped in homes and vehicles.
“The water was immense, it rose very rapidly. It was very dark,” Chief Scearce said.
Chief Elijah Childers of the Pilot Mountain Rescue Squad, who led several rescues, shared details of one particularly dangerous operation.
“She was 30 feet down, sitting on her car, with water rushing,” Childers said. “Calmed her nerves, was able to get her back upstream and up to safety.”
The volunteers credited their success to the dedication of their team.
“Our team is wonderful. We are 100% volunteers here. We are the definition of community,” Chief Scearce said.
He highlighted the selflessness of the rescue crews.
“Somebody just put themself in immediate danger for them, and got paid absolutely nothing for it, except for the fact that they had an opportunity to save a life,” Chief Childers said.
Despite the overwhelming odds, the volunteers said they would do it all over again for their community.
“All of us, we are the community of Mount Airy. We are your teachers, your EMTs, your paramedics, your business owners, and we have a heart to serve our community. So we are the definition of community,” Chief Scearce said.
“It makes all those hours of training, it makes all those hours of the headaches, it makes all those hours of everything else we had to go through, completely worth it,” Chief Childers said.
The volunteers advised residents to trust their instincts and avoid driving through roads that appear too dangerous.
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