As floodwaters rose across the Kaʻū District during Hurricane Lala, a Hawaiʻi National Guard high-water vehicle team was already returning from one rescue when another call came in: two emergency medical responders were stranded in their ambulance and needed help.
The soldiers were about a mile away when they received the request for assistance.
“They had just completed an individual rescue of a gentleman and were headed back to the fire station when we received the follow-on call requesting our assistance with the stranded EMS,” said Sgt. Darrick Salinas, 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment. “We didn’t really have a lot of information on the full circumstances of their situation, just that their vehicle had stalled in high water.”
The team turned toward the stranded paramedics and as they approached, the conditions deteriorated. What had been roughly 2 feet of water earlier in their mission had risen to at least 5 feet by the time they reached the EMS personnel.
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