WILDWOOD, Mo. — Fire officials in Wildwood made a dramatic rescue earlier this week, saving a teenager trapped in her car amid flash flooding.
On Tuesday first responders rescued a 19-year-old woman trapped in her car on Highway 109. Thankfully, she survived without any injuries, but emergency responders said the rescue is a warning to all drivers amid heavy rain and flooding.
“The water was rushing very quickly," said Eureka Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Scott Barthelmass. "It takes as little as six inches of water to really move a car."
Barthelmass helped make the rescue. It was just a day after Boone County Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Tobben died while rescuing people from floodwaters in Columbia.
“That was heavily on our mind that day," said Barthelmass. “These are very dangerous operations for us, hugely dangerous operations.”
Fire officials tell us the 19-year-old woman hydroplaned and then got trapped. Experts expect only more flooding in the coming years. Their message to drivers: if you can’t see the road, don’t drive through it.
Officials with the National Weather Service said Missouri is one of the hardest-hit states for flooding. With increasing heavy rainfall linked to climate change, experts said it will be more and more important for drivers to avoid water-covered roads.
“Over the past week and a half, we've probably had, what five to 10 inches of rain in this area. That's a lot of water," said Barthelmass.
His message to drivers: slow down when it’s wet.
“The next thing is, if you get in a situation that the young lady was in driving this vehicle, she remained very calm the entire time her vehicle was stable, don't try to get out of the vehicle, let us do our job," he said.
They're important reminders to keep drivers and first responders safe.
Barb Sturner, a spokesperson with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, wants people to know the warning signs.
"We have seen quite a bit of flash flooding this spring and summer from heavy rains throughout the Midwest," he said. "As emergency managers, we are urging people to please, please not drive through water on any roadways, bridges or other surfaces. Even if it’s a road you are familiar with, you don’t know the condition of it beneath the water. It only takes inches of water to move a car of any size. And before you know it, you could lose control and be swept away. That not only puts you in danger, but it puts our first responders at risk too.”
Kevin Deitsch, National Weather Service St. Louis Meteorologist, said climate change is a factor in the intensity of storms.
“Unfortunately, with climate change we are witnessing an increase in heavy rainfall events in the region," Deitsch said. "In the Midwest climate region, our total precipitation amounts on the top 1% of our heaviest rainfall days have increased 45% since the 1950s. In addition, our annual maximum daily precipitation (the day of the year with the most rainfall) has increased roughly 10% since 1950. Missouri is unfortunately one of the hardest hit states for flooding and resulting fatalities, averaging 5.4 flood deaths per year from 1996-2020."