Hope Rises From The Floodwaters: Amazing Stories Of Courage, Love From Texas

As flood-ravaged residents struggle to pick up the pieces of lives shattered by Hurricane Harvey in Texas, heroes continue to save lives and inspire hope.

So far this week, said Michael O'Hagan, public affairs officer for the 106th Air National Guard out of Westhampton, 546 saves have been reported, along with "probably two dozen" pets, including kittens, dogs, cats and puppies.

Even the strongest of rescuers can find themselves moved to tears by some of the saves, O'Hagan said. "There's just something about a little girl crying after being reunited with her kitten, a little boy with his dog — that's happened time and time again."

Rescuers are often begged to "please, go back in" and save a stranded pet, O'Hagan said. The whole experience of being hoisted up to a helicopter is often terrifying to pets and people alike, he said, but all are grateful to be alive and safe.

Reflecting on the many saves of the week, O'Hagan said some leave a forever imprint on the heart.

Sgt. Joe Napolitano, he said, gets credit for spotting, from a helicopter, a white handkerchief, and feet, protruding from a window below.

"We lowered a guy down and found an elderly caretaker who'd been caring for a mentally disabled older gentleman with dementia," O'Hagan said. "There's no way they would have lived. We're talking days of dehydration — and the woman was stuck in a double wide kitchen sink, that had collapsed, with just her feet hanging out the window."

The gentleman, O'Hagan said, was physically and mentally disabled and refused to walk, unaware of the "dire straits" he was in; rescuers had to carry him out, O'Hagan said. "It was scary. As you talk to the teams, some saves stand out, and that was a standout."

If it wasn't for Napolitano and his keen eyes, O'Hagan said, "Those people would no longer be on the planet."

Other life-altering moments took place when parents were reunited with their children, he said.

And, O'Hagan said, saving a month-old infant along with his family was a joyful moment.

Saving babies and small children required extreme caution, OHagan said.

O'Hagan also commended heroes who have endured difficult conditions to save lives, most especially boat crews.

"Every single night these guys are finding abandoned houses to sleep in, floors of McDonald's, finding scraps of food and scavenging," he said. "That's the extent these volunteers have gone to, to do their jobs. These are the conditions. Most people don't understand what it's like out there."

Crews are dealing with hazards and dangers, going from house to house, knocking on doors that are swollen shut and water-soaked, requiring chainsaws and sledgehammers to break them down and search for stranded residents.

Many volunteers are putting in long hours without complaint, he said.

But the rewards are infinite, O'Hagan said.

"Collectively, everyone has the same opinion: We're just very proud to be a part of this team."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the deployment this week of additional New York Air National Guard resources; an HC-130 search and rescue aircraft carrying 15 more airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing left Gabreski Air National Guard Base, headed to Fort Hood in Texas.

And, he said, a regional medical plans officer will depart for Texas on Thursday to assist with the evacuation and transportation of patients from area hospitals.

"As our neighbors in the south continue to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, I am deploying additional personnel and equipment to assist in continued search and rescue operations," Cuomo said in a release. "New Yorkers are no strangers to the destruction that can come at the hands of Mother Nature, and we are prepared to continue to support these efforts in any way we can."

The governor pledged New York's support to Texas and Louisiana and dispatched 104 Airmen along with three HH-60 Pavehawk rescue helicopters, another HC-130 and several boats and watercraft earlier in the week, the release said.

Photo, video courtesy of NYANG 106th Rescue Wing

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

Lead photo: (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Daniel H. Farrell)

Second photo courtesy U.S. Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing.

Video: U.S. Air Force pararescuemen from the 106th Rescue Wing, New York Air National Guard, perform search and rescue missions from a HH-60 Pave Hawk near Houston, Texas after Hurricane Harvey. The relief efforts have a conglomerate of active, guard, and reserve units from all branches supporting the federal government to help Texas recover from the storm. (U.S. Air Force Video by SrA Joshua Hoskins)