Two people and a dog were rescued after being stranded by the rising waters of the Susquehanna River in Vestal on Thursday.
According to a joint news release from the Vestal, Endwell and Endicott Fire departments, the Vestal Fire Department was dispatched to the area of the Susquehanna Riverbank on the west side of the Vestal Rail Trail for two people and a dog who were stranded due to rising waters.
Authorities said the two people had been camping on the riverbank and were unable to make it back to shore. Their exact location was unknown when the departments responded, and access to the area was limited.
The Endwell and Endicott Fire departments provided additional boats and manpower, and all three departments work jointly to navigate the “frigid and fast-moving” conditions of the river.
Units set up in the area of the former Freihofer’s on Gardens Road in Vestal and Grippen Park in Endicott in an effort to get boats into the water and to get eyes on the stranded people.
A Vestal boat was able to make contact with them about 40-45 minutes after the initial call. The people and the dog were transported to Grippen Park in an Endicott boat where they received medical evaluation and treatment.
All emergency boats were safely returned to the boat launches and removed from the river without any injury to emergency personnel.
The Vestal Fire Department was also assisted by the Vestal Police Department, the Vestal Ambulance, the Union Ambulance, the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, the Endicott Police Department, the Broome County Office of Emergency Services and Communication Division and the Campville Fire Department.
Source link https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/public-safety/2024/12/12/susquehanna-river-rescue-two-people-dog-stranded-amid-rising-waters/76948594007/
