Florence: 13 Hoisted To Safety By Chopper Among Dramatic Rescues

CHARLOTTE, NC — Saturday was a day of dramatic rescues from floodwaters as Tropical Storm Florence parked itself over North Carolina and relentlessly rained, breaking a rainfall record that had stood for 20 years. Hundreds of people were trapped in shoreline flooding and the state is bracing for widespread inland flooding in areas that aren’t prone to high water.

"I cannot overstate it: Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday.

Coast Guard helicopters flew overhead and hoisted 13 people trapped in a Jacksonville home 40 feet into the sky to safety. Among the 13 adults were an older woman who waded through the waist-deep water on crutches to the chopper’s rescue basket. She is expected to be OK, as are the other dozen people plucked from the murky water.

The choppy rhythm of helicopters could be heard throughout the day in New Bern, one of the communities hardest hit by the 10 feet of storm surge kicked up by Florence, once a terrifying Category 4 hurricane. The choppers were deployed to areas too remote to be reached by boats. The Marines, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, civilian crews and volunteers all pitched in to rescue people caught in the catastrophic flooding.

Coast Guard members said choppers had made about 50 rescues in and around New Bern and Jacksonville as of noon Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Marines rescued about 20 civilians from floodwaters near Camp Lejeune, using Humvees and amphibious assault vehicles, the base reported.

Also in New Bern, Robert Simmons Jr. was stranded in his house by floodwaters from the Neuse River that were waist deep in some areas, The News & Observer reported. A photo of Simmons as he sits in the back of the jon boat that rescued him captivated readers on social media. The photo shows Simmons' kitten named Survivor hugging his neck as he is rescued.

"We done been through Bertha, Fran, Irene, Matthew," he told the News & Observer on Friday afternoon, naming other storms. "And this is the worst it's ever been, in this part right here."

Kevin Knox and his family were rescued from their flooded brick home in New Bern with the help of Army Sgt. Johan Mackie, part of a team using a phone app to locate people in distress, the AP reported. Mackie rode in a boat through a flooded neighborhood, navigating through trees and past a fencepost to get to the Knox house.

"Amazing. They did awesome," said Knox, who was stranded with seven others, including a boy who was carried out in a life vest. "If not, we'd be stuck upstairs for the next ... how long? I have no idea."

Residents made frantic pleas for help on Crowdsource Rescue, a neighbor-to-neighbor app designed to supplement overwhelmed 911 resources. One person filing a rescue “ticket” said her friend’s elderly father in New Bern hadn’t been in contact with anyone since Wednesday. He didn’t evacuate and wasn’t answering his cellphone.

“Veronica is running out of food, water and the flood water is rising fast,” another ticket read. “She lives in a very small 1 story home and can not move to the roof. Her children are 2, 6, 7 and 9 years old.”

In eastern Carolina, the family of Annazette Riley-Cromartie stayed behind in their brick house, but the water kept rising on Friday. Riley-Cromartie, her husband and three children moved to an upper floor bedroom where they heard their neighbors screaming for help, CNN reported. Her husband tried to help, but the water was too high.

"It's the worst feeling in the world to hear people yelling for help, and you can't do anything," she told CNN.

The family was rescued by an Indiana volunteer rescue team with a boat.

In Newport, the Cajun Navy said on Twitter Friday night that it had evacuated animals and staff members stranded at the Carteret County Humane Society. An estimated 43 dogs, 80 cats, 15 chickens and roosters, and at least two people were trapped on the building's top floor as flooded roads and fallen trees surrounded the animal shelter. The roof of the shelter collapsed and animals had to stand in inches of water Friday, USA Today reported.

An Illinois search and rescue team is heading to North Carolina to help with the response, according to a State-Journal Register report. The state is sending a Swiftwater rescue team with 13 members, and the deployment is expected to last 10 days.

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Related coverage:

• Florence Moves Catastrophic Flooding Inland, 7 Deaths Reported
• Treasures In The Car: What Evacuees Grabbed Fleeing Their Homes
• 'This Storm Is A Monster': NC Governor Orders Coastal Evacuation
• Hurricane Florence Threatens Pigs, Catastrophic Waste Spills
• Freeze Your Leftovers And Other Tips Ahead Of Hurricane Florence
• Duke Energy: Florence Will Leave Millions Without Power For Weeks
• Florence Downgraded To Tropical Storm, Relentless Rain Continues
• Entire Blue Ridge Parkway To Closed To Traffic
• Wild Horses, Ponies Should Weather Hurricane Florence Just Fine
• 1,000 Out-Of-State Lineman Arrive In NC To Combat Storm Outages
• Driving Near Flooded Rivers, Roads: Do's And Don'ts
• Charlotte Airport Open As Airlines Seek To Restart Flights

The Associated Press and Patch editors William Bornhoft and Beth Dalbey contributed to this report.

Volunteers from all over North Carolina help rescue residents and their pets from their flooded homes during Hurricane Florence September 14, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)