Floodwaters sweep away 12-year-old boy in Virginia and force boat rescues of over 200 people from Maryland school
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.
2025-05-14 20:15:53 - VI News Staff
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.|