Woman, dogs rescued from homes in South Albany - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Woman, dogs rescued from homes in South Albany

Posted: Updated:

  • More WALB News10 HeadlinesMore News Headlines

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 11:45 PM EDT2013-05-24 03:45:38 GMT
    A Cordele man is out of jail tonight, accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from his former employer. Crisp County Investigators say 25-year-old James Aultman stole more than $10,000
    A Cordele man is out of jail tonight, accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from his former employer.

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 11:40 PM EDT2013-05-24 03:40:13 GMT
    Albany Police are putting on a free gospel concert this weekend. It's free, but they will accept donations to fund the department's annual community picnic in June. Musical artists from around South
    Albany Police are putting on a free gospel concert this weekend.

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 11:35 PM EDT2013-05-24 03:35:30 GMT
    A couple of South Georgia mayors attended a forum at the Albany Civil Rights Institute to enlighten the public on how city governments run, Thursday. Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard and Baconton Mayor Annette
    A couple of South Georgia mayors attended a forum at the Albany Civil Rights Institute to enlighten the public on how city governments run, Thursday.
    •   

By Karen Cohilas - bio | email

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - A neighborhood in South Albany was quickly surrounded by water Thursday evening. It rose so quickly on Mockingbird Drive, one woman was trapped in her house before she could get away. Two dogs were also trapped in a back yard and their owner couldn't get through the water to them.

Albany Firefighters and Dougherty County Police officers were able to get the woman and the two dogs to safety. Ilene Sullivan just didn't realize the water was going to rise so fast.  She said, "My two dogs are trapped in the back yard, I've got to try to get them out." So she called dispatch to help. In addition to her dogs, she was also worried about her neighbor, whose car was parked in the driveway. "Usually if her van's there, she's there."

DCP officers went door to door checking for anyone else stranded with no way to get out. They were able to save Sullivan's two small dogs. "Thank you." And after using a fire department boat to get to Veronice Ford's house, were able to rescue her as well.

"I am so thankful," said Ford.  She says she was stranded after the water snuck up on her. "Then it was too late to go anywhere because the road was covered with water and I was just stuck."

But because of her neighbor, help soon arrived. Ford said, "It's a blessing to have good neighbors." And public safety workers who say they're no heroes, just doing what they are paid to do. "We're just doing our job," said McKay Melton.  He added, "This is a bad thing to happen, all this water and stuff and we're just glad that we've got the resources to come out and help people out."

A happy ending to a frightening situation. "I'm so glad that we were able to getcha out."

Both Ford and Sullivan plan to stay with family tonight. They hope the water quickly recedes so they can go back home. Firefighters will check low-lying areas throughout the night.

Feedback


©2009 WALB News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.