Three rescued from rushing floodwaters in North Hills
Crews rescue several people from the Pacoima Wash
Several homeless people were rescued by LA City crews in the San Fernando Valley as rain continued to hit the area.
LOS ANGELES - Three people are recovering after being pulled from rushing floodwaters in the San Fernando Valley as heavy rain battered the region Thursday morning.
What we know:
Firefighters responded around 9 a.m. Thursday to the Pacoima Wash near Parthenia Street and Sepulveda Boulevard after reports of people inside the wash.
Crews pulled a woman from the water. Helicopter crews then plucked a man from the rushing floodwater as other crews staged for additional possible rescues downstream, said LAFD spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz.
A short time later, firefighters hoisted a third person from the wash as he clung to a bridge abutment near Saticoy Street.
All three were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.
RELATED: LA weather: More rain, pop-up storms hit SoCal as flood alerts remain in place
What they're saying:
Residents living in encampments along the riverbed told FOX 11 the victims lost their footing on the slick concrete. Witnesses described seeing the victims struggle in the current. One man who jumped in to help a woman in the wash said the water quickly overpowered them both until rescue teams pulled them out.
Initial bystander reports suggested a fourth person might have been in the wash, but after an extensive search, the Los Angeles Fire Department concluded that only three people were in the water.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Los Angeles Fire Department.