SIKESTON – Sikeston Department of Public Safety assisted a neighboring community late Friday in the evacuation of a patient from a flooded area.
At 7:57 p.m. Friday Region E’s Homeland Security Response Team responded to Bollinger County Road 708 to assist Bollinger County EMS and Fire to remove a patient from a flooded area in a remote part of Bollinger County, according to the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. Region E’s HSRT is comprised of Cape Girardeau Fire Department, Jackson Fire/Rescue and Sikeston DPS.
Three inflatable boats were used to transverse a mile-long stretch of flood water in the dark, cold midnight hours, the Cape Fire Department said. Crews had to get in and out of the water several times due to fluctuating water levels. One area required that personnel walk through chest-deep water to get to a waiting vehicle that transported them approximately one mile to the patient, according to the Cape Fire Department.
The crew set up a helicopter landing zone for Air Evac to land approximately 200 yards from the house, the Fire Department said. The patient was treated and loaded into the helicopter and transported to a local hospital. Crews repeated the process they used to get in the area to get back out of the area.
According to the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, the rescue took approximately four hours to complete due to the flood waters, cold temperatures (18 degrees) and night-time environment.