An 11-year-old boy who was trapped in his home during the Hurricane Helene mudslide was rescued thanks to his pet dog.
Jamie Parker, 11, was trapped under the stairs in a pile of rubble at least 12 feet deep in his home in North Carolina after a mudslide caused by Hurricane Helene hit the property in late September.
"It was scary, I thought I was all alone," he told WCNC. "It felt like forever down there. I couldn't see sunlight. I could feel water dripping on me, and I thought I was either [going to] drown or run out of air."
11-Year-Old Rescued After Mudslide
Parker said he began screaming for help when he was trapped. Only Tucker, the family pet, heard Parker screaming.
"[He was] whining and barking," the 11-year-old boy recalled.
Michael Johns, Parker's grandfather---home at the time of the incident with his wife and two grandchildren---noticed that Tucker would not stop barking on top of a pile of debris. The dog never moved from the spot until firefighters arrived and rescued Parker.
The 11-year-old boy was immediately brought to the Atrium Health Cabarrus hospital for medical treatment.
Speaking to the news outlet, Parker said he rescued Tucker from being put down in an animal shelter. At the time, Tucker---who was the last dog left in the pound---ran up to the boy during his visit. Parker and his siblings used their allowance money to pay for Tucker.
As of writing, Parker is medically cleared. However, he and his family are staying at the hospital as they have lost their home and belongings.
The sheriff's department in their community partnered with Habitat for Humanity to raise money to help Parker and his family get a new home.
Hurricane Helene's Impact on North Carolina
Helene caused at least 94 storm-related deaths across the state. The fatalities were reported across 20 counties, with the majority in Buncombe, Yancey, and Henderson, according to the latest update from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).
It is important to note that the figure does not include people who are still missing or unaccounted for. Officials are still working to accumulate those numbers.
