WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - St. George firefighters rescued a man today who was trapped by the swiftly-rising Amite River.

Eldon Ledoux with the St. George Fire Protection District said the man and another person living on Horseshoe Bend Road had tried to walk through swift-moving water which had surrounded their homes. One got across, but the other was swept off the roadway.

Ledoux said the man was wearing a life vest and clung to a tree for almost an hour before rescuers were able to get to him.

The victim said he was cold but otherwise unhurt, and declined medical treatment.