March 16--PRATTVILLE -- The Prattville Fire Department performed a water rescue Sunday morning of seven children and five adults who were stranded by the rising waters of Pine Creek.
The group had gone camping Saturday night on the creek, and heavy rainfall turned the normally docile stream into a raging torrent Sunday morning. The group was gathered on high ground on the creek bank. Two of their vehicles were swamped by the rising water.
It took rescuers about 15 minutes to ferry the group across the swollen creek in a rubber boat, said PFD Capt. Mike Rogers. No one was injured in the incident. The names of those rescued weren't released, standard PFD procedure.
"When we got here, we sent two rescue swimmers across to check on the group," Rogers said. "They we in pretty good shape. We sent a line across and used the boat to bring them to this side of the creek. We brought the children out first then the adults.
"There were no injuries to the victims, or the rescue team. Everybody gets to go home, cold and wet, but they get to go home."
The area of creek, just off Pierce Lane near Cooters Pond Park, is a popular spot for campers. The winding path of the waterway has numerous sandbars popular with campers. The confluence of Pine Creek and the Alabama River is just a few hundred yards from the rescue scene.
Portions of Autauga County got 2 inches of rainfall from Saturday night through Sunday morning.
"This is a classic example of a flash flood," said Ernie Baggett, director of the Autauga County Emergency management Agency. "These folks were very lucky, and very fortunate that Prattville has such a well trained fire department.
"The swift water rescue team was able to bring everyone to safety in a short period of time."
Any outdoor activities should include a check of the weather forecast.
"Especially if you will be camping near a waterway, you need to check the weather before you go out," he said. "They call them flash floods for a reason, they occur very quickly."
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