Dangerous flash flooding forced search and rescue operations in multiple states Tuesday, including boat rescues at a Maryland elementary school and a search for a 12-year-old boy swept away by floodwaters in Virginia.
The boy was caught in rushing water at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, after a nearby creek had overtaken a roadway about 20 miles from Charlottesville, according to a 911 caller, Albemarle County Fire public information officer Logan Bogert told CNN in a statement. The department identified the boy as Jordan Sims.
Crews found a body believed to be the missing boy at around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, the fire department confirmed.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Albemarle County less than an hour before the boy was swept away. The county saw between 4 to 6 inches of rain from Monday afternoon through Tuesday night.
Gushing rainfall also forced rapid rises on nearby rivers. Water levels on the Mechums River — located just a few miles from where the child was last seen — rose about a foot per hour on Tuesday afternoon and ultimately topped out 5 feet above flood stage by midnight.|