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Hero saves grandma and her loved ones when their home was nearly swallowed by the Kentucky floodwaters




CNN

Between catastrophic flooding in eastern Kentucky, A good deed by an anonymous man helped rescue a grandmother and her family trapped in a house full of water.

Randy Polly was driving to get gas on Thursday morning when he encountered floodwaters that left him stranded on dry ground in Whitesburg, Kentucky.

Hours later, he watched from afar as a man rescued an elderly woman and others trapped in a house as the water continued to rise.

Polly told CNN he could hear people screaming in the flooded street, “Help me, get help.” Polly called 911, but emergency services were overwhelmed and did not respond to his calls, he said.

Around 9 a.m., he witnessed someone he described as a “hero” swim up to the house and begin banging on doors and windows.

A series of dramatic videos filmed by Polly and shared with CNN shows the rescue. Polly said it took about 30 minutes from start to finish, when the man entered the house through the window and helped each of the three family members leave safely.

Missy Crovetti, of Green Oaks, Illinois, told CNN that the rescued family included grandmother Mae Amburgey, uncle Larry Amburgey and brother Gregory Amburgey. They are safe and her grandmother and uncle are recovering in the hospital, she said.

Crovetti said her uncle, in his 70s, was put on a ventilator – possibly from asphyxiation – and taken away later in the day. Crovetti said her grandmother is being treated with antibiotics after suffering a laceration in her leg, and as of Sunday was diagnosed with pneumonia. “We were hopeful but also scared because of her age,” she said.

Crovetti’s brother shared photos of the flood inside the house as the three waited to be rescued. In one of the pictures, you can see 98-year-old Mae sitting on a bed almost submerged in water.

Crovetti said she did not know the name of the man who rescued her family. Polly also said he did not know the man’s name.

Gregrory Amburgey was seen with his 98-year-old Grandma Mae when their home flooded in eastern Kentucky.

Crovetti set up a Verified GoFundMe campaign to help grandma and other family members as they recover from the devastating flood.

The flood took the life of at least 26 people as of Sunday morning. The National Weather Service has placed a flood warning in effect through at least Monday morning for areas south and east of Kentucky. According to the Weather Prediction Center, there is a moderate risk of Level 3 out of 4 for excessive rainfall on Sunday across southeastern Kentucky.

Heavy rains and floods begin overnight on wednesday, wiping some houses off their foundations and forcing the inhabitants to seek higher ground. Governor Andy Beshear said he expects the death toll to rise as search teams move into areas currently inaccessible.



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