NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Texas is getting help from the Peninsula, as the Newport News Fire Department’s Swiftwater Rescue Team has been asked to help more than a week after deadly floods took over the Guadalupe River.
The outlook is grim. More than a week after the initial floods, more heavy rain fell, and now, more is on the way. Hampton Roads-based crews have been told to expect about 20 inches of water on top of what they are dealing with. The heavy rain disrupts the debris underneath, so places they already searched get reshuffled.
“It takes days, weeks to actually search through all those debris piles to make sure that they’re clear,” said Newport News Fire Chief Wesley Rogers. “If you can imagine that surge, weather and rain — it disrupts those piles, moves them. … A lot of times, they have to go through and ultimately re-search those areas.”…