NorCal couple and their dog rescued by helicopter as flood waters closed in
By Felix Cortez
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MONTEREY COUNTY, California (KSBW) — David Pepple of Arroyo Seco got his first helicopter ride Monday morning and it wasn’t exactly the kind he was hoping for. David and his wife Jeannie along with their dog had to be rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their Arroyo Seco home was surrounded by flood waters.
“When I watched my wife she spun around a little bit when she got to the top but when I got to the top we really spun to where I closed my eyes the last ten seconds probably,” said Pepple.
Video of the rescue effort shows Pepple tossing and turning in a basket as he and his dog are lifted into the Coast Guard helicopter. His friend Greg Fraser watched from the roadside as his neighbors were lifted to safety.
“My heart’s pounding, I’m really concerned for David I’m just glad to see his house is intact,” said neighbor Greg Fraser.
The Pepples had to be rescued when their home became an island in the flooded Arroyo Seco River. The couple says they were preparing to heed evacuation warnings when a foot bridge was wiped out by a huge tree trunk.
“When I woke up in the morning, the water was probably four feet lower than when all this happened and I told my wife we better get ready and we started packing and getting ready and we were looking out the window and we saw the bridge go and when that bridge went there’s no way out,” Pepple said.
Emergency crews, including search and rescue, responded and determined a helicopter rescue was the best option; entering the river was too dangerous.
“Looking at the water flows, the debris in the water the amount of trees that were in there and the danger to them that was going to be a second or even third plan the best situation was to try and get a helicopter,” said Ryan Avila with Cal Fire.
The heavy rains on an already saturated ground led to rock slides on Arroyo Seco road, a fast-moving Salinas River and the Arroyo Seco River flowing at levels neighbors haven’t seen in over 30 years. At its peak, the river flow was shy of breaking records.
“I’ve never seen anything like it probably never see it again well I hope not,” Jeff Binsacca.
With more rain on the way, more flooding is expected. Law enforcement officers are reminding people to be prepared to heed any evacuation orders and warnings.
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