North Shore residents were caught off guard when the state’s worst flooding in 20 years hit them hard. They had little time to prepare as waters rose quickly in the early hours of March 20, causing some residents to become trapped inside their homes. Joey Cadiz and Patrick Monaghan, Unit 15 members and lifeguards, jumped into action with community members to rescue people while off-duty.
In a video shared by Mark Talaeai to his “Mean Hawaii” Instagram account, a group of men with Cadiz and Monaghan rolled down the streets of Mokuleia in a tractor and were alerted about a 98-year-old woman in a wheelchair who was unable to evacuate.
To ensure that the woman was transported securely, they lifted her wheelchair above the flood waters and directly into the tractor’s bucket. With her wheelchair wedged between feet and legs, the tractor drove her to dry land.
The video of this emotional rescue has gone viral as an example of a community coming together in a time of crisis to make sure no one is left behind.