His own home flooding, wildlife officer rescues others
LUMBERTON (WTVD) -- Instead of checking on his own flooding home, a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officer got to work and used a boat to check on dozens of others, rescuing four people.
Despite being displaced himself, Miles Sampson said it was worth it.
"That can always be taken care of," Sampson said of the damage to his home. "There are some people here that don't have a home to go to, they don't have food to eat and they were stranded. They couldn't leave their homes, so I needed to be here."
Floodwaters closed in around his home last Sunday, destroying his wife's car and causing extensive damage, but that didn't stop him from helping others who may be in a direr situation.
"No one had checked on them the entire week, they were basically trapped in their homes," Sampson said.
"He's a true public servant," said Sam Craft with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. "I mean, you can't teach people this kind of thing."
NC Wildlife has rescued more than 200 people and has 60-plus officers on patrol per day.
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"They said the flood had gotten about 4 feet, and actually into their homes but they had no way to get out," Sampson said.
Sampson said he's been moved by the resilience of the survivors.
"Some of their pets have died, buildings have been destroyed, vehicles have been destroyed, but they were not really complaining about it. They were actually just grateful that we were there to help," he said.
Despite his own losses, he said he feels fortunate he and his wife have family to stay with and that he's been able to continue to help.
