‘You won’t beat the water.’ Lynchburg rescue team deployed to SWVA ahead of potential flooding

WYTHEVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - First responders are shifting their focus from snow to potential flooding. As WDBJ7’s meteorologists have mentioned, we could start seeing that over the next few days.

Southwest Virginia is bracing for major flooding as heavy rain, melting snow, and ice threatens communities along the I-81 corridor.

“Please pay attention to your surroundings,” Governor Glenn Younkin said, “and if you see something that may look like it will cause flooding, please evacuate. You’re not going to beat the water.”

Nine members of the Lynchburg Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue team are stationed in Wytheville, ready to respond.

“If any flooding were to occur,” Captain John Ripley said, “we are here as a swift water team to help with that.”

The team has been training nonstop--running GPS drills, marking danger zones and prepping boats for potential rescues.

The biggest areas of concern are low-lying areas where water can collect and create flooding problems, areas like lakes or ponds, where rainwater and snowmelt run off.

“That’s where we get a lot of our problems,” Ripley said, “people driving the cars in the water and getting stuck; then we have to go out to their vehicles and get them out of it.”

Also, the force of high levels of moving water can create problems for those trying to cross bridges or homes that are next to the creeks and rivers.

So, they’re urging people to stay home and stay alert as more rain falls through the weekend.

“Obviously we don’t want to use our training if we don’t have to,” Ripley said, “but we’ve been through a lot of training, and we know how to do this.”