VADNAIS HEIGHTS, Minn. — A woman is safe, and likely grateful after being rescued from flood waters in Vadnais Heights Wednesday night.
KARE 11 Photojournalist Dave Peterlinz was driving around 11 p.m. in the area around Edgerton Street and Centerville Road when he saw four cars stranded in water pooling and rising under a railroad overpass.
While he was shooting video of the scene, the driver of a Chevy Bolt drove through caution tape put up by authorities and became stuck in the water.
The driver was worried about leaving her car, and said that she didn't see the water under the overpass.
It was her luck that a Good Samaritan came along and was able to help the stranded driver out of her car and through the nearly waist-deep waters.
Vadnais Heights was not alone in its flooding woes: Across the metro, many communities received significant amounts of rainfall on Wednesday. The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities reported a new record: 1.94 inches of rain fell at the airport, breaking the previous record rainfall of 1.55 inches set in 1935.
State agencies have said because of climate change, rainfall in Minnesota will happen less frequently but with more intensity, sometimes resulting in flash flooding.
If you come across a flooded roadway, always remember this familiar mantra: Turn Around, Don't Drown. The National Weather Service (NWS) recommends abandoning your vehicle if the water starts rising around you so you can get to higher ground. Six inches of water is enough to reach the bottom of most passenger cars, putting your life in danger.
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