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Landslides and river rescues: Rains wreak havoc on Southern California
Southern California was drenched with several inches of rain this week, flooding roads, causing mudslides, and trapping residents in floodwaters.
LOS ANGELES - Rescue crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department pulled a man out of the LA River in the Boyle Heights area Wednesday afternoon. SkyFOX was over the rescue effort.
The LAFD first reported the man stuck in the raging waters shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday. The season's eleventh atmospheric dumped a record-breaking amount of rain this week, with nearby Montebello seeing as much as 2.7 inches of rain in the last 24-hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Runoff from that record-breaking rain causes the river to surge, making conditions especially dangerous.
Video from SkyFOX showed LAFD's rescue chopper dropping what appeared to be a life vest around 5:30, as the man stuck in the river clung to the metal wall at the side of the river. Heavy winds in the area combined with rotor wash from the chopper above flung the life vest around while crews attempted to get it to the man.
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Person rescued from raging river in Boyle Heights
The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a person trapped in the LA River in the Boyle Heights area.
SUGGESTED: Atmospheric river batters California with flooding rains, wind
Minutes later, an LAFD first responder dropped from the chopper down to the river. The first responder had to maneuver with their hands to glide over to the edge of the river and grab the victim. The two did take a brief dunk in the river waters before the chopper was able to lift them both to safety.
The chopper then flew the man to the hospital for treatment. According to LAFD Public Information Officer Erik Scott, the man was suffering from the effects of hypothermia, but no other reported injuries yet.
The LAFD has not determined the man's age or how he got trapped in the river.