We all like to imagine that if disaster strikes, we’d know exactly what to do. Thankfully, most of us are never put to the test.
However, the citizens of Joso, Japan, weren’t so lucky when flash floods devastated their community in 2016. In a matter of hours, entire neighborhoods were lost to the raging water.
When flood waters decimated this couple’s home, they were desperate. They knew they’d have to climb to the roof if they wanted any hope of being rescued. That’s when they made a bold decision that no one would soon forget…
We’d all like to think that we’ll be prepared should disaster strike, but that’s rarely ever the case; Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with. No one knows that better than the people of Joso, Japan. When massive floods hit the town, residents everywhere were scrambling for their lives, and one couple in particular found themselves in a frightening life-or-death situation.
Amidst the raging flood waters, the couple found themselves stranded on the roof of their home. In only a matter of minutes, large sections of their house was swept away by the rushing rapids, and rescuers knew that time wasn’t on their side.
Rescue workers managed to fly a helicopter over the home to attempt a near-impossible retrieval. The conditions were awful, and controlling the chopper proved to be an incredibly difficult task. Thankfully, the pilot had flown in treacherous conditions before, and he knew the couple’s lives were in his hands. But soon, he’d find out that they weren’t alone…
One of the rescuers attached himself to a harness and was slowly lowered towards the couple. At first, the wind was blowing him back and forth, and he wasn’t sure if he’d even be able to make it onto the roof. But, he was willing to try for as long as it took.
Finally, the pilot was able to steady the chopper long enough for the rescuer to drop onto the roof of the house. Even though he was tightly fastened in the harness, the home could’ve crumbled at any moment, taking all three of them with it.
When the rescuer finally found his footing, he looked frantically to the couple. He suddenly realized that they weren’t alone: they were tightly grasping their two dogs as well! This was going to be a much riskier mission if all four of them wanted to make it out alive…
The rescuer attached the woman and one of the dogs to his harness first. He was going to try to get her into the chopper as quickly as possible so he could return for the husband. He looked up at the other officers in the helicopter, gave them the signal, and they started their risky ascent.
After a few intense minutes of dangling on the harness, the rescue worker, woman, and dog were all aboard the aircraft, safe at last. Now, it was time to go back for the husband, and the flood waters were only getting worse.
The rescuer was again lowered onto the roof of the deteriorating house. He attached the husband and the dog to his safety harness and gave the signal to be pulled up. But would there be enough time to get them out of harm’s way?
It’s hard to imagine being in a situation as intense and terrifying as this one. The brave men and women who risk their lives to help others are truly remarkable. Watch the heart-pounding video below to see if rescuers were able to save the husband and the dog…
That was a truly brave decision to risk their lives in order to save their dogs, too. Thank goodness they were rescued just in time!
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