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CBP Rescues Man, Woman and Dog from Rising Floodwaters

Release Date
Tue, 09/18/2018
Border Patrol Agent Kyle Clendaniel (foreground) was part of the CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter crew conducting the rescue of a man, woman and her dog from floodwaters Monday in Eastern North Carolina.
Border Patrol Agent Kyle Clendaniel
(​​​​foreground) was part of the CBP Air
and Marine Operations helicopter crew
conducting the rescue of a man, woman
and her dog from floodwaters Monday
in Eastern North Carolina.

An Eastern North Carolina man, woman, and her dog are safe and sound, thanks to a Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations helicopter crew and a Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue agent aboard. On Monday, the group was trapped by floodwaters along the North East Cape Fear River. The Tucson, Arizona-based Black Hawk crew confirmed with local law enforcement that the group needed assistance.

A woman plucked from the floodwaters in Eastern North Carolina comforts her dog after they were rescued by a CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter crew Monday.
A woman plucked from the floodwaters
in Eastern North Carolina comforts her
dog after they were rescued by a CBP
Air and Marine Operations helicopter
crew Monday.

Using a hoist, an aircrew member went down to those stranded in the open water to determine their condition. Following the assessment, the rescue aircrew conducted a 220-foot insertion using a rescue basket to bring the woman and her dog to safety followed by the man. They were flown to a local baseball field and transferred to a shelter for care.

A total of 10 CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopters and another five airplanes went to the region and are providing eyes in the sky for storm damage assessments, conducting rescue missions, and making sure air traffic is properly managed in the area. Cameras on the aircraft are providing real-time, streamed video back to Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, emergency operations centers, as well as to CBP command centers in the field and back at the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021