Incredible Rescues from the Floodwaters

Passersby rescued a drowning woman and her dog from a car in the Baton Rouge area that was caught in the raging floodwaters and nearly submerged.

A great-grandfather, the water up to his waist, guided his four-year-old great-grandson through the rising floodwaters of St. Amant, Louisiana.

Stranded strangers on a highway, including truck driver Gator Inglis of Abita Springs, Louisiana, shared their last bottles of water with others more desperate than they — including thirsty children.

Stories of dramatic rescues and acts of bravery and kindness during the unprecedented flooding in parts of Louisiana are continuing to emerge, stories both unbelievable and commonplace, heroic and poignant — but common to Americans who have always reached out to friends, families, neighbors, and fellow citizens in times of hardship, stress, and crisis.

As of midday Monday, at least six people were confirmed dead as a result of the heavy storms that delivered more than two feet of rain. Here are some standout stories of rescue, of generosity, of kindness, and of faith that have so far emerged.

‘Cajun Navy’ Steps Up for Others
Average citizens who turned themselves into a hard-working rescue brigade known affectionately by locals as the “Cajun Navy” have come to the aid of others in this storm. These fishermen, hunters, and leisure boaters arrived to provide back-up to official first responders trying to deal with emergency calls from stranded residents. They did it during Katrina — and they’re doing it again now.

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Chris Macaluso, a Baton Rouge resident, used his own boat to help get neighbors to safety. “I had access to a boat I could use but, man, they got a lot of [people] in duck hunting boats riding around these neighborhoods who have no idea where they’re going, but they’re just here to help,” Macaluso told The Times-Picayune. “This is not easy work.”

Often, there’s a strong current whipping around flooded cars and houses, and many obstacles under the water can damage boats, The Hayride reported.

Twitter user @dtonguis expressed her thanks, tweeting, “Crisis brings out the best and the worst in folks. Saw it during Katrina. Seeing it now with the #CajunNavy.” And @editilla simply tweeted, “#CajunNavy Once again Rising with the waters.”

Said resident Kelly Schultz, “I’m not part of the Cajun Navy but we sure were out there Sunday helping people out of their homes. It isn’t easy work but I’m proud to say I’m part of the huge amount of people that went help … Good job, Cajun Navy!!!! Thanks for all that y’all do!!” She posted her words on The Hayride.

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People Share Food with Needy Strangers
Complete strangers — joined by crisis — have been reaching out to others just like them. The police, too, have continued to rescue people from cars as they sat stranded on a miles-long stretch of Interstate 12, which was closed from Baton Rouge to Tangipahoa Parish.

Alex Cobb of Baton Rouge was on her way to a bridal shower that she was supposed to host when flooding closed the highway. “They opened up their truck and started giving out fruits and vegetables to people,” she told the Daily Mail when reached by phone Sunday.

Woman Escapes through Gash in Her Roof
Tangipahoa Parish resident Lyn Gibson rescued herself and her dogs by using a saw and her own two feet — by knocking a hole in the wall of her house to escape the rising floodwaters.

“What our guys do is very heroic — they are going into these neighborhoods, the terrain is very treacherous, they work throughout the night.”

Gibson said Saturday she made the hole near the roof of her two-story home so that she and her dogs could get to a National Guard rescue boat. A book author and a real estate broker, Gibson told The Associated Press of her ordeal from the hospital. She had been reunited there with her husband, who fell ill at a neighbor’s house as the floodwaters rose around them.

The Gibsons’ home had been restored and repaired just recently — it was badly damaged during a March 2005 flood. Gibson says she is sure her home is wrecked again.

Furry Friends Are Not Forgotten
Hundreds of beloved dogs, cats, and other pets have been rescued from homes in southern Louisiana. By early Monday, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries had rescued 566 animals, according to spokesman Adam Einck.

“It does present a lot of challenges, but our agents have been trained for this,” he told Fox News. “What our guys do is very heroic — they are going into these neighborhoods, the terrain is very treacherous, they work throughout the night.”

Einck also said Hurricane Katrina, which hit the southern state in 2005, taught a lot of lessons about pets and crisis.

Related: Flooding Issues Crest in Louisiana

“One of the biggest hang-ups in getting people to evacuate their homes was that they didn’t want to leave their pets,” he said, noting that many owners now make sure they have pet carriers handy. “We definitely will try to work with them any way we can.”

The state’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is working closely with animal shelters and the local humane society to ensure that pets are taken care of after they’re safe, Einck added.

Two Brothers Save Elderly Man
Jordan Temple was on his way to grab breakfast in Amite, Louisiana, with his brother when he saw an elderly man turn down a road that led into a flooded canal. The brothers quickly went after the man as his Suburban was swallowed by the rising waters.

“Floodwaters don’t care about race, color, creed, religion, gender.”

Temple, who is 6’1″, dove into the water, swam to the vehicle, and told the man to roll down his window and stay calm, WWL-TV, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans, reported. “I said, ‘Just get out your window, and I’ll swim you to safety,'” Temple said. He put the man over his shoulder and they made it to higher ground.

“I could barely understand the words coming out of his mouth,” Temple said. “He was just shaking like a leaf.”

Temple said the man continually thanked him for his bravery, but he feels God put him in the area for a reason — and that rescuing the man was the least he could do.

Shelters Go Up Everywhere
Patrick Mulhern, director of the Celtic Media Center in Baton Rouge, said floodwaters affect everyone equally — and act as an equalizer after recent racial tensions in the Pelican State. Usually a sound stage for hit movies, Celtic Media Center is now a shelter for some 4,000 people left without homes.

“Floodwaters don’t discriminate,” he told CBS News. “They don’t care about race, color, creed, religion, gender — you name it.”