The call can come at any time. A house fire. A vehicle accident. Or, as we witnessed late Saturday evening into Sunday, a devastating flash flood.

The flooding that swept through Triadelphia, Valley Grove and elsewhere in Ohio County late Saturday evening claimed at least seven lives. The tragedy is unthinkable. Yet without the heroic efforts of local first responders from the Wheeling police and fire departments, the Triadelphia and Valley Grove volunteer fire departments, state Division of Natural Resources employees and so many others, the toll could have been much worse.

Consider: on Saturday night into early Sunday morning, nearly two-dozen swift-water rescues took place. Folks were helped from their homes. Some were rescued from their cars. And at least one or two were rescued from where they took refuge in a tree to escape the rising water.

And it’s not just the uniformed officers that helped. Stories are emerging of local residents selflessly going out of their way to help others. Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton, who owns a business impacted by the flooding on Lumber Avenue, easily could have focused on ensuring his building was safe. But he and his son David, also a small business owner on Lumber Avenue, instead went through the Overbrook section of Wheeling late Saturday to ensure folks were safe and could get out of their homes.

On Sunday, as the rescue effort turned into a recovery effort, local kayakers took to Wheeling Creek to help search vehicles that had been washed away, looking for those missing.

There are other such stories, and there’s not room in this space to tell them all. But know, for all those that put themselves in danger, whether they were a paid firefighter, a volunteer or just a neighbor who saw a need for help and acted, your efforts truly are appreciated. Your actions saved lives. Thank you.