photo by: West Virginia Department of Commerce

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has a Swift Water Rescue program with 100 trained officers prepared to respond in all 55 counties. Those officers assisted in recent days with swift-water rescues in Ohio County following the June 14 flash flooding.

As flooding surged across parts of West Virginia nine days ago, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources deployed one of its crucial and highly trained emergency tools, the Swift Water Rescue units.

Sergeant Dennis Feazell, the DNR’s statewide Swift Water Rescue coordinator, said DNR officers conducted 18 rescues on the evening of June 14 in Ohio County, pulling residents from homes and vehicles as water blasted through the Valley Grove and Triadelphia areas.

“Some people were trapped in cars, others were stuck inside their homes,” Feazell said. “Our local officers responded immediately and did what they had to do to get people out safely.”

The rescues were just the start. By Monday and Tuesday of last week, as the floodwater receded and the recovery operation began, Feazell and five other highly trained Swift Water instructors moved from rescue mode to vehicle recovery and damage assessment. They worked alongside local tow operators and cleared 24 flooded vehicles from the waterways — helping to prevent debris from causing additional hazardous conditions for future storms.

“The swift response is the result of years of planning”, Feazell said.

After the deadly 2016 Greenbrier County floods — which claimed 23 lives — the DNR began to develop a formal statewide swift water rescue program. About two years ago, the agency launched a structured program to ensure every field officer received the appropriate tools and training. Currently, more than 100 DNR officers are trained to respond in all 55 counties.

“What we learned in 2016 is that we needed a more organized, prepared response to flooding,” Feazell said. “Now, every officer gets annual training, and we have a team of 10 instructors, with advanced training and equipment, who can mobilize quickly to assist in major events.”

Feazell noted that roughly 50% of flood-related deaths involve vehicles, so the DNR’s focus this year is shifting to improve training that involves rescues from submerged or trapped cars.

Earlier this year, the department sent instructors to a facility in North Carolina where they trained in rescuing people from submerged vehicles in simulated flood currents.

“That training came into play immediately,” he said. “We were out there clearing vehicles and checking for victims within hours of arriving.”

In addition to rescue operations, DNR officers also walked stream banks to search for missing persons and used larger boats on the Ohio River to assist in victim recovery.

Feazell emphasized that while DNR officers have always responded to floods, the training program has made a noteworthy difference in both safety and efficiency.

“Our guys have always stepped up in these situations,” he said. “What this training gives them is a safer, more-effective way to do the job.”

DNR teams remain prepared by staying up with the current statewide forecasts.

“This has been a busy year already,” Feazell said. “But we are ready — and we will keep showing up when people need us.”