Swift water rescue teams made Matthew less deadly

HURRICANE YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR

2016-10-14

BENEFITS BUSINESS OWNERS MAY

ALSO QUALIFY.

>> NEARLY 2300 SAVED BY SEARCH

AND RESCUE.

TONIGHT HEARING FROM SOME

PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THOSE RESCUES

.

>>Reporter: HERE IN ROCKY MOUNT

FIREFIGHTERS ACCOUNTED FOR 472

RECORD -- RESCUES INCLUDING

FIVE DOGS.

A MAJOR FACTOR. AFTER HER CLAIM

-- HURRICANE FLOYD DOZENS OF

TEENS CREATED ACROSS THE STATE

THAT HAS TURNED OUT TO BE ALIVE

SEEN TO CHANGE.

>>> BECAME BY BOAT AND BY AIR,

TO PULL NORTH CAROLINA FLOOD

VICTIMS TO SAFETY, 2300 SO FAR.

RESCUERS CAME BETTER ORGANIZED,

EQUIPPED AND TRAINED AND DURING

HURRICANE FLOYD IN 1999.

>> WHEN FLOYD CAME IN WE WERE

SOMEWHAT UNPREPARED.

>>Reporter: CAPTAIN BRETT

SKINNER LEAVES THE ROCKY MOUNT

SWIFTWATER EMERGENCY RESCUE

TEAM SOMETHING THAT DID NOT

EXIST DURING FLOYD.

>> BETTER EXPERIENCE AT IT.

>>Reporter: ROCKY MOUNT HAS 20

FIREFIGHTERS WHO VOLUNTEERED

FOR WEEKS OF SWIFTWATER

TRAINING, SPECIALLY DESIGNED

DRY SUITS FOR EACH TEAM MEMBER

PLUS THREE POINTS -- THREE

BOATS WAITING TO DEPLOY IN HIGH

WATER CONDITIONS.

A TEAM FROM CHAPEL HILL TO

ASSIST US, HUMVEES FROM THE

NATIONAL GUARD ALONG WITH WHAT

WE HAD ALONG WITH OUR PEOPLE

WHO ARE BETTER TRAINED AND

PERFORMED FLAWLESSLY.

>>Reporter: DO YOU THINK THE

STORM COULD HAVE BEEN MORE

DEADLY THAN FLOYD?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>>Reporter: STATE EMERGENCY

DIRECTOR MIKE SPARE VERY SAYS

THE HIGHLY TRAINED TEAMS HELPED

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

>> THEY PROVIDE THE PEOPLE ON

THE TEAMS, ABLE TO CHOP THEM

OUT AND PUT THEM INTO THE

FIGHT.

>>Reporter: A FIGHT EASIER TO

WIN IF MORE DRIVERS USED COMMON

SENSE.

>> SUCH A SIMPLE THING, SUCH A

SIMPLE CONCEPT DON'T DRIVE AND

WATER.

>>Reporter: IN ADDITION TO

SWIFTWATER RESCUE TEAMS, ONE

THING EMERGENCY MANAGERS .2 AS

A REAL IMPROVEMENT SINCE FLOYD

IS THE FLOOD MAPPING TECHNOLOGY

AND CONSIDER THE NUMBERS. 52

PEOPLE DIED DURING AND AFTER

HURRICANE FLOYD.

SO FAR MATTHEW, 22 PEOPLE HAVE

THE PAST, AND IT IS A MUCH

WIDER STORMS.

>> WHAT A DIFFERENCE TECHNOLOGY

HAS MADE.

PRETTY AMAZING.

>>> UNLESS YOU HAVE A BOAT OR