BROWNSTOWN, Ind. (WDRB) --  Flooding in Jackson County, Indiana, is not uncommon, but recent storms have brought the worst flooding the area has seen in decades.

As waters rise, airboats have become a vital tool for rescuing people stranded by the floods.

“It’s the only one here for Indiana Conservation officers in the entire county,” said Blake Everhart, an officer with the Department of Natural Resources, as he described the county’s airboat.

The Brownstown Fire Department also uses its own airboats and has been extensively over the last few days, particularly in the flooded areas near the East White Fork River.

Everhart recalled a rescue on Sunday evening where he responded to a distress call. “I got a call of a guy screaming for help. He was stuck in a tree. He had been in a kayak and got knocked overboard,” Blake said. “We got to him just in time, before it was too late.”

The airboat was also used this week to navigate hundreds of acres of flooded cropland just north of Seymour. The high waters have submerged fields that would typically be filled with farming equipment and crops.

Over the weekend first responders spotted a car wedged in a tree line – a sign of the devastation left behind by the weekend flooding.

The airboat, often associated with marshy wetlands like the Florida Everglades, is critical to rescuing people stranded in remote or flooded areas.

"What we get here in Jackson County are roads that are pretty flat," Everhart said. "You can be driving in six, eight, or 10 inches of water, but then there’s a dip in the road that’s three, four of five feet deep."

Over the weekend, the flooding hit its third-highest level in recorded history for the area, with water levels receding enough to clear some roads since them. Airboats like the one used by conservation officers are vital for reducing the response time during emergencies, covering ground quickly where traditional vehicles can’t go.

While the airboats are used on rescues 10 to 20 times a year in Jackson County, the recent floodwaters have made them more crucial than ever. For emergency responders in this area, airboats have proven invaluable in the race to save lives.

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