Dramatic video shows the moment U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew members rescue 10 people, including a baby, from murky floodwaters that have inundated parts of Washington state following record rainfall in the Pacific Northwest.
A clip shared on the Coast Guard Pacific Northwest’s Twitter account shows crew members lift up people stranded on roofs and in knee-deep water on Monday. The clip also shows a mother being lifted up to safety while holding her infant in her arms.
In total, the Coast Guard rescued six adults and four children from the floods near Forks, Washington, on the Olympic peninsula that sits west of Seattle.
No injuries were reported in the rescue, the Coast Guard said.
The Pacific Northwest has been hit by an atmospheric river, plumes of tropical moisture, which has triggered record rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. So far, at least four rivers in Washington state have reached record levels in the flood event, the Weather Service reported.
Over 56,000 customers remained without power early Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.
Gov. Jay Inslee issued a severe weather emergency proclamation Monday to get resources to help those affected by the storms.
The state has been battered by severe wind and a rainstorm system that started on Nov. 12, Inslee said in his release. That system has caused extensive flooding, landslides and swelling of multiple rivers, and more rain and snow are expected.
