As Irma flood waters rose, 15 Beaufort County residents needed help fast
When water started rising Monday afternoon because of Tropical Storm Irma, families in four neighboring Seabrook homes needed rescuing.
Burton Fire District, Beaufort Water Search and Rescue, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and Beaufort County EMS responded to the homes off Delaney Circle around 2 p.m. to save 15 people, including two children, who were trapped in their homes as water rose around them from a nearby creek. An elderly resident and a young child were in wheelchairs, according to Burton Fire District Lt. Dan Byrne.
Search and Rescue skipper Clay Emminger said his team went out on an airboat to rescue the families.
“We rode right up to their railing,” he said of the rescue.
One of his team members stepped on a nail during the rescue and had to be treated at the hospital, Emminger said. No other injuries were reported.
The families were taken to the Battery Creek High School shelter, Byrne said.
Joan McDonough: 843-706-8125, @IPBG_Joan
This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 7:11 PM with the headline "As Irma flood waters rose, 15 Beaufort County residents needed help fast."