BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Coalition helicopter crews rescued trapped flood victims Friday in Uruzgan Province.
Three days of heavy rains caused flooding along the Helmand River near Deh Rawod, roughly 70 kilometers northeast of Kandahar.
More than 200 villagers were stranded on an island that was shrinking amid the rising water. U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, followed by flights of CH-47 Chinook helicopters, launched from a military base near Kandahar. They rescued the trapped villagers and took them to a nearby aid station set up by the coaltion.
"If it were not for the efforts of the helicopter crews, it's quite possible more

villagers could have suffered," said Brig. Gen. Jack Sterling, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force 76. "It could have been much worse."
The governor of Uruzgan Province, Jan Mohammed, was present during the operation and supervised the efforts of coalition troops.
Earlier Friday, villagers began to alert coalition troops in the area that the river had overran its banks. Others reported missing family members and livestock. Many areas were unreachable due to flooded waterways.
Coalition planners predicted heavy flooding this year and were prepared to support the Afghan government in their efforts to help people. Local leaders requested assistance from the coalition and several villagers arrived at a forward operating base to ask for help.
Meanwhile, military engineers deployed bulldozers to reconstruct part of a coalition base that was also affected by the floods.
More relief supplies are expected to flow into the area as coalition forces coordinate efforts with Afghan and international relief organizations.
"Our troops will continue to assess the situation and help as needed," Sterling said.