By Puneet Bsanti
The Peninsula Gateway (Gig Harbor, Wash.)
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Sheriff’s deputies rescued a number of people from a flooded RV park near Orting on Wednesday afternoon.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Swift Water Rescue Team deployed to Bill and Dan’s RV Park on 116th Street East, according to the office on Facebook.
Deputies brought boats to assist with rescuing people whose RV’s were surrounded by rising flood waters, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said on Facebook.
As of Wednesday afternoon, about seven people have been rescued, Sheriff’s Office deputy Carly Cappetto told The News Tribune. That number was expected to grow.
Cappetto said those rescued included elderly people, adults and children. Some people did not want to leave their RVs but had to. Residents include elderly people, veterans and some people with mental illnesses.
There are at least 75 RVs trapped one on side of the park and threatened by the rising Puyallup River.
Cappetto said most of the people in the park did not want to leave their RVs because that is where they live. About 25 people were trapped on the other side of the park on a land mass with water between them and deputies. They chose to stay with their RVs, she said.
For the people who were saved, they were left with wet clothes, no phones or resources. Deputies tried to get shuttles out to take the rescued people to warming shelters.
Cappetto said this particular community was told to evacuate, but most did not want to leave or could not because they are immobile, which she said is understandable. Deputies are also responding to other emergencies due to floods and the weather, so if people expect them to return after refusing help the first time, it is not a guarantee on what time they will come back. It also puts a strain on resources, she said.
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