Hurricane Florence Hero Volunteer Rescues 6 Dogs Abandoned In Locked Cage

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Heroic volunteers rescued six dogs which had been abandoned in a locked cage in North Carolina, during Hurricane Florence.

The dogs nearly drowned in rising flood waters before rescuers got to them. They were found barking, standing on their hind legs up against the front of the cage, desperate to get out.

The animals were found at a property in Leland, North Carolina, where the owners had abandoned the house and the animals in order to escape Hurricane Florence.

You can watch the rescue here:

Journalist Marcus DiPaola posted to Twitter:

Rescued six dogs in Leland, NC, after the owner LEFT THEM locked in an outdoor cage that filled with flood water that was rapidly rising. [sic]

We got them out, but by the time we left, the water was so high that they would have drowned. BRING YOUR PETS WITH YOU! [sic]

The video shows the dogs whimpering as volunteer rescuer, Ryan Nichols, of Longview, Texas, wades through the water to reach them.

As soon as he frees the animals, all the dogs swim out towards the volunteers.

Flood waters in North Carolina reached four feet in height on Sunday, (September 16), and are steadily rising, according to MailOnline.

There’s already been a number of deaths in the state as a result of the hurricane.

Around 50 people were stranded in the area and had to be airlifted by helicopter to safety, while more than 26,000 people had to evacuate their homes, taking refuge in shelters, Reuters reports.

Alhough the storm’s intensity has diminished since coming onto land from the sea, it’s unloading huge amounts of rainfall, with more to come. Authorities have also warned, once the rain stops, rivers will continue to rise.

South Carolina Governor, Henry McMaster said:

This is a hurricane event followed by a flood event.

North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper said:

This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches.

Numerous roads have been forced to close, with authorities also warning of the risks of landslides, tornadoes and flash floods, as well as dams and bridges in danger of collapsing as water levels rise.

In Fayetteville, a city of around 210,000 thousand people in North Carolina, residents were told to evacuate their homes due to the flood risk.

Mayor Mitch Colvin said at a news conference:

If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible. The worst is yet to come.

At the height of the storm, nearly one million people lost power. Flooding has devastated entire towns as rescue operations work to restore power and rescue those stranded.

According to AccuWeather, thousands of National Guard troops are in the area to assist residents, as well as a number of local volunteers.

The storm has been downgraded and is no longer classed as a hurricane, but flooding continues to rise.

Our thoughts are with all those currently affected by the events in North and South Carolina.

If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]

Charlie Cocksedge

Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.