A crew from Butte County Search and Rescue returns to solid ground with an unidentified woman (obscured by rescuer) pulled from swift floodwater. She had attempted to cross a flooded portion of Ord Ferry Road in her vehicle but was swept away, about four miles west of Dayton, California, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)
DAYTON — An unidentified woman escaped dire circumstances Sunday near Ord Ferry Road, about four miles west of Dayton and about six miles southwest of Chico.
Butte County Sheriff’s Department dispatchers announced a rescue call at 3:20 p.m. Sunday, after a woman had requested help when her vehicle was swept away in floodwaters about a quarter-mile west of River Road. She apparently had attempted to traverse the swift water, which appeared to be at least a few feet deep, but the water was too strong and her vehicle left the roadway.
An unidentified woman walks toward an ambulance after Butte County Search and Rescue crews pull her out of swift water in a flooded area just off Ord Ferry Road, about four miles west of Dayton, California, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)
Butte County Search and Rescue personnel accompany an unidentified woman to an ambulance. They had pulled her from swift floodwaters she tried to cross in her vehicle four miles west of Dayton, California, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)
A crew from Butte County Search and Rescue reaches solid ground after pulling an unidentified woman from swift floodwater along Ord Ferry Road. She had apparently attempted to cross a flooded portion of the road, but was swept away, about four miles west of Dayton, California, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)
A crew from Butte County Search and Rescue returns to solid ground with an unidentified woman (obscured by rescuer) pulled from swift floodwater. She had attempted to cross a flooded portion of Ord Ferry Road in her vehicle but was swept away, about four miles west of Dayton, California, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)
Butte County Search and Rescue crews demobilize following the rescue of a woman who attempted to cross a flooded area in her vehicle on Ord Ferry Road, about four miles west of Dayton, California, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (Ed Booth/Enterprise-Record)
Rescuers arrived at the scene and used an inflatable boat to reach the woman. They pulled her into the boat and brought her back to solid ground, where other Search and Rescue crew members accompanied her to a waiting ambulance.
The woman was walking on her own power and was speaking to rescuers coherently.
Ord Ferry Road was closed at the time of the mishap, with a large “ROAD CLOSED” sign attached to a gate at the road’s junction with Seven Mile Lane.
Public safety officials always advise people to resist any temptation to cross flooded areas, as it is impossible to tell how deep the water is and the vehicle can easily get swept away.
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