See video of stranded dogs rescued from Hawaii floods
Jacqueline Bensaid jumped into action to rescue stranded pets, as Hawaii faced one of the worst floods in 20 years.
As Hawaii reels from some of the worst flooding to hit the region in decades, one good Samaritan is taking to the waterways to paddle pets left behind to safety.
Jacqueline Bensaid, identified on her social media as a Hawaii-based realtor, mounted a paddleboard in northern Oahu on Saturday, March 21, after heavy rains flooded the island. Bensaid, with the help of animal welfare groups Rescue Oahu and Hawaii Pointer Rescue, said in a social media post that she paddled through farmland in Mokuleia, where most farms were “six feet plus” underwater, to rescue trapped animals.
“We saw 12 dogs, one cat and dozens of chickens yesterday,” she said in her Sunday, March 22, Instagram post. “Eight dogs were rescued, including two puppies … four other dogs and the cat were on higher ground and had farmers still looking after them, so we had to make a tough choice and prioritize looking for dogs that were abandoned.”
One dog was reunited with its owner, she said, while rescuers were in contact with the owner of at least four more.
In Bensaid’s video, she can be seen rowing through murky, brown waters filled with debris. An almost fully engulfed truck, a refrigerator and roofs can be seen peaking out from the waterline.
Chickens can be heard chirping in the background as Bensaid, who said she later had to take a break from rescues due to bites and injuries sustained during her efforts, pulls up to a mostly-submerged structure. Later in the clip, she coaxes a pair of dogs to swim toward her to safety, while a tiny black puppy rests in her lap on the board.
Bensaid said she was stranded in Mokuleia due to road closures but was safe. “Our entire town, gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacy is closed for now,” she said. “The electric company has shut off electricity across the entire North Shore until the water subsides.”
“There is a wonderful team of helpers still at the farms doing search and rescue,” she added. She encouraged readers to donate to any efforts to help the communities of Hawaii rebuild and asked locals wanting to assist the area’s animals to consider volunteering with organizations like Rescue Oahu and Hawaii Pointer Rescue.
Most of Hawaii remained under a flood watch as of Monday, March 23, after two back-to-back storms pummeled the islands with rain and damaging winds. Rain and damaging winds resulted in evacuation orders, more than 200 rescues, power outages and enough damage that could cost over $1 billion, officials said.
