DANVILLE, Va (WFXR) — First responders in Danville are on standby in case of emergencies as Hurricane Ian’s remnants make their into our area.
Experts from the Danville Life Saving Crew recommend taking extra precautions to stay safe–emphasizing that the best thing to do to keep you and your family safe is to stay home.
Odell Tate has been with the crew for over 50 years now, and he says if people do need to leave their homes, they need to be especially careful when driving.
“One of the main things is don’t drive through standing water, because we’ve had situations before that people will drown, the old saying is “don’t drown turn around” is very applicable with what’s going on,” said Tate.
Tate says although the crew is prepared to help in emergency rescue situations, he hopes they will not need to.
“We have all the equipment and the man power, hopefully we don’t need what we are preparing for,” said Tate.
Bryan Fox from Danville Life Saving Crew says when it comes to hurricanes the main concern is mitigating the dangers that can come from both water and wind.
“Rainfall saturates the ground can float roadways low lying areas, then you get the wind with that in conjunction you can have trees down powerlines down poles broken which pose their own hazard,” said Fox.
According to Fox, the city has a dozen swiftwater technicians if you do find yourself in need of a water rescue. He says they also partner with other swift water agencies in the area to aid in quick and safe rescues.
“We’re gonna come out and get you, don’t try to get out and swim if its swift moving water it can sweep you away, stay with your automobile, know your location, give your 911 dispatcher your location,” said Fox.
If water is coming into your car, Fox says the best thing to do is climb on top of your vehicle until help arrives. Tate adds that the life saving crew will do the best they can, for the longest they can–to help those in emergency situations.
Again, they recommend if you can, stay home until conditions are safer.
