Incredible images show a 17-year-old girl and her dog stranded on a rooftop surrounded by flood waters as they waited for hours to be rescued amid the recent eastern Kentucky flooding.
Chloe Adams woke up on Thursday morning to realize that water was rushing into her home in Whitesburg, Kentucky, leaving her little time to act.
Though Chloe lives with her grandfather, she was the only one inside the home on Thursday besides her dog, Sandy, who she has had since she was a toddler, according to CNN. Her grandparents, who were at a nearby home, tried yelling at Chloe to stay put until help arrived.
With cell service down and having no way to get in touch with anyone, Chloe decided to swim to her uncle’s house but had to find a way to bring Sandy with her.
Realizing Sandy could not swim, Chloe tested different pieces of furniture to see what her dog could float on. She eventually settled on a plastic drawer from her closet that Sandy could fit into and then placed the drawer on a sofa cushion so the dog could float.
Chloe exited the flooded house with Sandy and swam to a neighboring house, where they found a rooftop with only a sliver of the surface remaining unsubmerged.
“She waited hours until she could be rescued,” Chloe’s father, Terry Adams, wrote on Facebook. “She is a hero.”
Chloe and her dog waited over five hours before they were met by Terry’s cousin, Larry, who rescued the two in a kayak.
“He does amazing things for the community on a daily basis,” Chloe’s father told WHAS11 News, speaking of his cousin. “This was above and beyond. We are very grateful for him.”
The two were able to return safely to Chloe’s grandmother’s home after being stranded on the roof for several hours.
“We lost everything today,” Terry said. “Everything except what matters most.”
The eastern Kentucky flooding began on Wednesday as some communities received approximately ten and a half inches of rain over 48 hours.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced on Sunday that the death toll from the floods had reached 26, including four children, as thousands have been displaced from their homes.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
