Video shows horse rescued by air after B.C. flooding; family thanks Good Samaritans
Watching her home near Spences Bridge being swallowed by the Nicola River, Kim Cardinal hugged her husband Lorn tight, and told him she didn’t think they were going to survive.
“He looked at me and said, ‘At least we’ll be together,’” Cardinal told CTV News, choking back tears.
There was no way to call for help, because the telephone lines were down and there was no cell service. All surrounding roads were washed out, so there was no escape.
“Nobody comes and nobody looks, and we don’t have cellphone service,” she narrated emotionally while shooting video of the raging water. “You’d think there would be helicopters or something.”
Cardinal could also be heard admitting that she may have to set her beloved horse, Winter, and two miniatures horses free to fend for themselves.
“I know they won’t come and get them out of here. I love you Winter,” she said while petting the horse.
About 15 kilometres away, off-duty Surrey RCMP Const. Brett Schmidt, who was on his way home from Kelowna, abandoned his vehicle when he felt the road crumbling apart.
“I was probably a few seconds away from the back end of my truck going downwards, and I imagine I probably would’ve been in the river for sure,” said Schmidt.
He set out on foot looking for help. He walked several kilometres and at one point fell into a river, before eventually seeing Kim Cardinal.
The couple gave him food and water and a place to sleep in their truck.
Schmidt in turn, tried to calm their fears, and helped move the horses throughout the night as the water kept creeping closer.
The following morning they built a fire, hoping someone would see the smoke. It worked.
Choppers began arriving, dropping off food and hay for the horses. Then one by one, volunteers began airlifting the horses to safety. Volunteers were also able to help save their dogs and puppies.
Cardinal called Schmidt her guardian angel.
“I think it was probably more the other way around. They definitely helped me out. They supplied me with food and water and a place to stay,” insisted Schmidt.
Loved ones have started a GoFundMe page for the couple, who lost their home and whose insurance won’t cover the damage.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.