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Missy Crovetti panicked Thursday when she was sent a photo of her nearly 100-year-old grandmother sitting on her bed, partially submerged in floodwaters ravaging eastern Kentucky.
The picture showed Mae Amburgey, or “MomMae,” as Crovetti calls her, in capri pants and a turquoise sweater that was already half-soaked. Amburgey had clasped his hands around his right knee; the bottom of his legs disappeared into the mud. Around her: an overturned dresser, artwork made by her grandson, a pillow covered in one of her shoes and a box of Little Debbie Nutty Buddy bars.
From his home in Green Oaks, Ill., Crovetti, 52, immediately tried to call his grandmother, but couldn’t get through. He also tried his brother, who had taken the photo, and his uncle, both at their grandmother’s house. They didn’t answer either. He didn’t know if they were still in the house or if they had run away.
More than 500 miles away, Crovetti did the only thing she could think of to help: She posted the photo to Facebook with a plea in hopes that her SOS could reach someone in Letcher County, Ky. ., that he could help his grandmother, who is 97 or 98, depending on which family Bible you consult.
“My grandma, uncle and brother are stuck in their house across from the high school if anyone has a boat in this area the water is about 4 feet deep in the house,” he posted.
Posted the post at 1:26pm and hoped that was enough.
“I was desperate,” she said.
Amburgey, her son and her grandson were just three of the thousands of Kentuckians forced to contend with the effects of torrential rains that hit the eastern part of the state late last week. Between 14 and 16 inches of rain fell over a four-day period, turning idyllic creeks and streams into raging rivers, according to the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Kentucky. On Tuesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) called the disaster. had killed at least 37 people, displaced hundreds and caused “hundreds of millions of dollars” in damage, according to the Associated Press and a YouTube video from the governor. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Beshear warned that as the floodwaters receded, “we’re going to be finding bodies for weeks.”
Kentucky flood death toll rises to 28 as more storms hit
Randy Polly, who was across the street from Amburgey’s home during Thursday’s flooding, told The Washington Post that he saw floodwaters rush in and kill two people “right in front of me.” early Thursday When she called 911, a dispatcher told her that even if they weren’t struggling to answer more than 300 calls, first responders wouldn’t be able to reach them until the waters receded.
Since then, numerous homes in and around the area have been damaged, and people are desperate for basic supplies. “This is a war zone,” said Polly.
Before he knew of any flooding, Crovetti woke up last Thursday and, knowing weather forecasters had predicted extremes, checked the weather to see if they were okay. But not in his home state of Kentucky. Since her son goes to school in Seattle, which was under threat of a heat wave, she checked the weather in the Pacific Northwest. When Crovetti did, he spotted a flood warning in his home state of Kentucky. As he investigated further, he realized that his relatives in Ermine might be in danger.
Photos posted by her Facebook friends confirmed her hunch. The flood waters seemed to rise with every photo I saw. Then he began to recognize landmarks in some of the photos and knew that if those places had flooded, his grandmother’s house would have too. That’s when he knew “my family was in trouble.”
Soon after, an acquaintance forwarded the photo that his brother, Gregory, had taken of his grandmother.
Although Crovetti was unable to reach anyone by phone, Polly said a friendly stranger soon came to help the family. The man was initially unable to reach Amburgey’s home because of the flood waters, which Polly estimated were 20 feet high at one point. But in a second effort, he went upstream and used the current to drift home. After breaking a window, he was able to help Amburgey and the two male relatives out of the house.
Polly, 49, captured the rescue on video and then watched the group of four drive away.
“I didn’t think I’d see them again,” Polly told The Post.
Dramatic video captures nearly 100-year-old Mae Amburgey being rescued from her flooded home in Whitesburg, Kentucky on July 28. (Video: Randy Polly)
About 45 minutes after Crovetti posted the SOS call on Facebook, a relative sent another photo of her grandmother, this time on oxygen at a hospital. He later learned that his uncle Larry had been swept away from the other three in the group and had been clinging to a tree until the anonymous rescuer returned to save him as well. Crovetti said she does not know who the man is and referred to him as her grandmother’s “good Samaritan” and “guardian angel.”
But it’s still not a happy ending, he said. His grandmother suffered from pneumonia and a cut on her leg, part of which has become infected.
“We’re just hoping it pans out,” Crovetti said. “She has a long road ahead of her.”
Kentucky, too, he added.
Crovetti and Polly noted that thousands of people in eastern Kentucky are experiencing flooding of biblical proportions. Hundreds of homes have been damaged in the ermine area alone, Polly said. People need basic supplies such as cleaning products and fresh water.
“We really need help,” said Polly. “People have no idea what’s going on here.”