After recent rains the rescue squads have been quite busy! Looks like a group of paddlers on an overnight trip got in over their head this weekend. When there is heavy rain forecast in Madison, Orange, Culpeper, Rappahannock and surrounding counties chances are the river will spike a few hours later. From 6am Saturday to 6am Sunday, June 14-15, the river flow went from around 1100 cubic feet per second of water flow to over 16,000!!
On June 15th at 1:30 AM, Spotsylvania Fire & Rescue responded to a 911 call for 11 adults stranded on an island in the Rappahannock River. Before they arrived two men managed to swim safely to shore while the remaining 9 stayed behind on the island. Due to the fast-moving current and rising water levels, mutual aid was requested from Stafford’s Water Rescue Team. Stafford and Spotsylvania personnel worked quickly to establish a ferry line utilizing an inflatable raft to safely shuttle the victims back to shore. They are happy to report that all 9 stranded victims were rescued, and all 11 victims were released on scene without injury.
