Margate Firefighters Rescue 50 People & Pets During Flood

The Margate City Fire Department had quite a busy night on Thursday.

According to a Facebook post, Margate firefighters rescued 34 people evacuated from two city restaurants on Amherst Avenue and 16 more stranded in vehicles when flood waters made roads impassible.

So That's What Those Army Trucks Are Used For

For years now, I have been passing several military-style trucks parked near the Margate Dog Park and wondering what they were doing there.

This goes back to the post-Hurricane Sandy days -- almost ten years -- when I first noticed them.

The folks at the dog park would sometimes joke that they were there in case Ventnor ever attacked us.

That seemed a little unlikely, but I never saw them used for anything in all that time, so you started to think that might just be it.

Until Thursday night.

Margate Firefighters respond to Flood Problems

As Margate firefighters chronicled in their Facebook post, the flooding from Hurricane Erin became such a problem by high tide on Thursday that some people having dinner in Sofia's and Tomatoes restaurants were unable to leave the restaurants without assistance.

The fire department transported 30 diners from Sofia's and four from Tomatoes.

Photos in the Facebook post show the firefighters helping the stranded diners into the back of those mysterious military trucks.

Yes, the same ones we have been joking about for a decade now.

"We ended up taking 16 of the 34 people home to their residences. Others walked home from the (fire) Station 1 at 1 S. Washington Avenue as they lived in close proximity.

2 Margate City Storm Trucks Used.  Storm 2 and Storm 3."

 

Firefighters Helped Others in Need

The Margate Fire Department also dealt with other flood-related issues, coming to the rescue of six flooded-out vehicles with a total of 16 people and three dogs inside, a gas leak, and a business's electrical fire.

As I said, it was a busy night for Margate firefighters. Well done!