PENDER COUNTY, NC (WFMY) - The Greensboro Fire Department has deployed two swift-water rescue teams to help with rescue efforts in eastern North Carolina after Hurricane Florence. So far, they've left no human or animal behind.
PHOTOS | Greensboro Swift Water Team In Action Saving Lives
The teams are stationed in Pender County, where Greensboro firefighter Tim Carrier said the flooding is like nothing he's ever seen.
"I've been on a couple deployments and I've never had this amount of rescues," said Carrier, a six-year veteran with the GFD. "The locals here never expected it to be this bad."
Carrier said the team of about 16 saved an elderly couple and more than 40 dogs inside a single house last week.
"There was water coming all the way up to the roof line," Carrier said.
The crew also saved a friend who was staying with the couple as well as a neighbor. The friend brought over a dozen dogs with her, making for a tough rescue.
"We pulled all the dogs out in the pouring rain," Carrier said. "It's hard to manage all the dogs but we found a way to get them to the vehicle and take them to the shelter."
After five long days, the team was joined by a second unit from Greensboro Monday night. They've stayed at local firehouses in the county.
Rivers are already high in the eastern part of the state and are expected to crest Tuesday and Wednesday. Florence dumped an estimated 8.04 trillion gallons of water on the state according to the National Weather Service.
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