Crews evacuate 17 along creek

Crews with the Redings Mill Fire District and the Newton County Emergency Management Dive and Rescue team evacuated or rescued a total of 17 people in the area around Shoal Creek in northern Newton County Wednesday.

The area the crews worked was in the Tipton Ford region, as well as homes on River Road, Riverside Drive and Glendale Road, according to Todd Chlanda, assistant fire chief with the Redings Mill Fire District.

"We went door-to-door at houses that were near the water, or their homes were being threatened by the flood and checked on them, and noticed them that the river was coming up pretty quick," Chlanda said. "We asked them if they would consider evacuating. Some people took that warning and evacuated. Others did not, and we did have to go out and rescue a few. We also closed off roads."

Chlanda said the water "was coming up at an extremely fast rate."

"You could be standing on dry ground at one moment, and then you could look down at your feet and you would be standing in water," he said. "The water was rising extremely fast."

Chlanda said a crew of 10 from the fire district worked the flood scene Wednesday, along with the search and rescue dive team from Newton County.

"They worked and had two boats out, and they did the actual rescues," Chlanda said.

Chlanda, who has been in this area since 1993, said this flood was the worst he had seen in the region.

"It was a shock to everyone to see how fast the water was rising," he said.

Neosho Daily News