More than 150 students and 50 staff members were rescued from an elementary school in western Maryland as flood waters continued to rise.
Westernport fire officials immediately established unified command and called for additional resources to assist with the rescues at the elementary school where the water was creeping into the building.
Students and staff donned personal flotation devices before climbing aboard the rescue boats that took them away from the flooding school.
Residents also were rescued from homes and businesses.
"The response effort was swift, coordinated, and lifesaving," Allegany County Department of Emergency Services officials wrote on its Facebook page.
A deputy state fire marshal jumped into his swift water gear to assist fellow Bloomington Fire Company with the rescue at the school and other locations.
Some of the rescue teams remain in area to assist with operations as the water continues to rise in the area.
