Boaters, campers rescued after storms

Authorities on Sunday rescued at least a dozen boaters and campers stranded by fast-moving thunderstorms that swept through the Lowcountry overnight.

Berkeley County Rescue Squad and state Department of Natural Resources officials rescued six people from Raccoon Island in Lake Moultrie around 4:30 a.m. Sunday.

Rescue Squad Chief Bill Salisbury said the agencies sent a boat to help the four adults and two children who were caught in the storms while camping. Their boat’s engine had failed, he said.

They also rescued an elderly couple who endured the storms in a small boat on the Santee River for about 24 hours. Salisbury said the woman’s daughter called authorities around 10 a.m. DNR officers found the couple about two hours later and returned them to Wilson’s Landing, where their boat trailer had been parked. Salisbury said the boat drifted about two miles from the landing.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston also reported the rescue of four people who were stranded on Capers Island.

They also helped a man who was alone in a boat along the Ashley River. The man was taken to a local hospital to be treated for dehydration.

Reach Andy Paras at 745-5891 or aparas@postandcourier.com