Leave it to the D.C. metro area to turn something as normally humdrum as a winter water main break into a dramatic rescue operation. Tune in to News Channel 8/WJLA for the best views of the large water main break near River Road that’s forced Montgomery County authorities to send in helicopters and, yes we’re not kidding, boats to rescue stranded motorists caught in roughly 4 feet of rushing water due to the broken main. At least twelve people have reportedly already been rescued.

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission said that a broken 66-inch water main is the culprit behind the sudden flood, and that they still have not been able to shut off the water yet. Given how cold the water must be, that’s not going to be a fun task.

Stay tuned for more dramatic updates!

UPDATE: WJLA’s updated story quotes a member of the rescue team as saying that the extreme, river or ocean rescue-style tactics they employed were deemed necessary because they were worried the trapped vehicles could have been swept away. Everyone has since been safely removed from the flooded road; a total of 15 or 16 people were rescued.

WSSC workers are now working on closing another valve up the line in order to halt the flow of water.