Against the current: DNR Swift Water Rescue units vital during weekend flooding

Dominion Post

a day ago

MORGANTOWN — As flooding surged across parts of West Virginia this past weekend, 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 Saturday night 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 of it. By Monday and Tuesday, floodwaters began to recede, which prompted Feazell and five other highly trained Swift Water instructors to switch 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 percent 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 have also been walking stream banks to search for missing persons and using 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.'
With additional rainfall forecasted for parts of the state, DNR teams remain prepared by staying up with the current damage.
'This has been a busy year already,' Feazell said. 'But we are ready — and we will keep showing up when people need us.'