Coast Guard Ship Overturns Mid-Rescue as Turbulent Weather Rocks the East Coast
A state of emergency was declared in Virginia after four people died.
— -- Dramatic footage shows the moment when a Coast Guard boat flipped after going out in the waters off Far Rockaway, Queens, to help a fishing boat that had run aground during this morning's storms.
The Coast Guard was responding to a distress call from the 76-foot scallop fishing boat, according to ABC owned station WABC. Five Coast Guard crew members and seven fisherman were able to swim to safety after the boat overturned in the rough waters.
Strong storms rocked the East Coast Wednesday night into this morning. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center, there were 53 reported tornadoes along various parts of the East Coast over the past 48 hours.
A state of emergency was declared in Virginia, where four people died as a result of the storms, including two adults and a toddler in Waverly, and another adult in Appomattox County.
There were 25 others injured in the area surrounding Tappahannock, according to the Virginia State Police, while two other fire departments responded to water rescues for stuck cars.
The Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency in Pennsylvania noted that the danger spread further north as well, with about 40 homes and structures damaged in their county, though no injuries have been reported there.
More than 72,840 customers are without power in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and D.C., according to local service providers.