Rescued only to be thrown in to the flood waters when her
rescuers capsized the boat in the swift current and struck a tree.
Rescheka awoke about midnight Saturday evening to absolute
quiet. Thinking that the worst was over
and that hurricane Matthew had moved on, she opened her front door only to find
floodwaters lapping at her top step.
After several days without power, her phone was close to dead. Realizing the predicament she was in, she
called 911 hoping that help would be sent.
She was told that rescue teams had gone though her area and was asked
how she missed the boat. “I was asleep
on my living room couch and didn’t hear anything,” she replied and again
pleaded for help. The dispatcher
suggested she call the fire department, but Rescheka told her that her phone
was almost dead and asked that the dispatcher call the fire department for her.
Feeling that she was one her own, she returned to her couch
and a time of prayer. A sense of peace
came over her and she again fall asleep.
Rescheka awoke about 2:00 a.m. and went to her door once more, waving
her flashlight into the darkness. Hope
rose within her when she saw a light flicker in the distance. As she continued to wave her flashlight, the
returning light came closer and closer.
Finally the two firefighters told her to jump into the boat. As they worked their way to shore, the boat
caught a tree and quickly filled with water.
Rescheka and the two firefighters suddenly found themselves in the
swiftly moving water. Rescheka grabbed
the branch of a tree as the current tugged at her. As the men got oriented, one of the
firefighters encouraged her to trust him to swim her to safety. With fear in her heart, Rescheka let go of
the branch and put her trust into her rescuer.
A few hours later she was safe and drying off in a Red Cross shelter.
 |
| Rescheka and "Mama" Lois share a special moment. |
Over the next few days, Rescheka met and became very fond
of a Red Cross volunteer by the name of Lois, coming to refer to her as
“mama.” Mama Lois became a source of
help and encouragement, often, according to Rescheka, going way beyond her
expectations to provide help and alleviate her fears of the future
uncertainty. Lois was not the only one
of the Red Cross volunteers that have helped her over and over again. She couldn’t say enough about all the
volunteer Red Cross volunteers at the Marion County National Guard Armory which
was turned into a shelter. “Everyone has
done so much,” she repeated several times as we talked. “I will never forget all the Red Cross has
done for me.”
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