FFs Rescue MO Park Visitor Caught in Flash Flood
By Nassim Benchaabane
Source St. Louis Post-Dispatch
CRESTWOOD, MO—Gravois Creek overtopped its banks during Wednesday afternoon’s storms, flooding the parking lot at Whitecliff Park, stranding visitors at Grant's Farm and leading to one man's rescue.
The flash flood struck the area shortly before 4 p.m., said Crestwood Fire Capt. Rob Shaffrey. Firefighters waded to one man in a sedan in the parking lot at Whitecliff. He grabbed hold of a rescuer and the two waded out of the waters.
Firefighters could not initially find the occupants of a minivan also parked in the lot. They eventually learned that the driver, who was alone, had left the vehicle and was found at Grant's Farm, Shaffrey said. Rescuers broke a window in the minivan to make certain no one was in it.
About 40 people at Grant’s Farm were stranded by the same flooding but did not need rescue. No injuries were reported.
Both the sedan and minivan driver were on the lot when the creek suddenly flooded, only for the waters to recede shortly afterward, Shaffrey said.
"They weren't driving through the water, they were just caught in the park," he said.
The area has seen infrequent flash floods over the years, Shaffrey said.
"It doesn't flood there often, but when it does, it rages," he said. "I've never seen water up that high."
Water rescue teams from Crestwood, Fenton and Valley Park participated in the rescue.
Robert Cohen and Rachel Rice of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
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