It’s always incredible to see the community come together in times of natural disaster.
People unite to go out and save as many lives as possible, whether in search, rescue, or retrieval operations on the ground or those who send donations to help.
The aftermath of such disasters always looks so devastating, crushing our hearts and spirits.
Stories of how people help each other in need always give us hope.
Despite the despair felt on the ground, seeing people from all walks of life do their best to save a life even if they’re not expected to do so.
When a tornado hit Laguna Heights in Texas, the community wasn’t prepared for it.
It was 4:00 in the morning when an EF1 tornado touched down on this small town, hitting the neighborhood’s homes with wind speeds from 86 to 110 miles per hour.
People were fast asleep, and no one was prepared to evacuate.
Some houses were ripped from the ground, swept off, and collided with other homes, ending in the tragedy of one life and hurting 11 others.
Rescue teams were deployed the day after, while the media rushed to the scene to cover the incident.
One of the first ones to head there was ABC’s News Team, who were hailed heroes when they did more than just cover what was left of the small town and other newsworthy information they gathered there.
ABC News Team arrived on Sunday dawn to set up their equipment.
All the staff and crew were working their way for the upcoming broadcast when members of their security detail heard a dog whimpering among the rubble around.
It was a sign of life from underneath, and they knew they had to act quickly. They called the authorities to help.
However, sound technician Jim Gower knew he had to act fast.
He did not wait for the rescue team to arrive.
Instead, he grabbed a shovel he found nearby and started digging under the foundation of a blue house where the sound was coming from.
After a few minutes, he had dug a big enough hole for the dog’s head to stick out.
The dog looked scared and didn’t want to come out.
Jim started to pet the dog and even gave it some food to calm him down, but it was still hesitant to get out.
A team member handed him a Slim Jim (a coincidental namesake!), thinking it might help lure the dog out.
Jim got bits of the treat, fed it to the dog, and slowly lured him out.
It took one small piece at a time, but they finally got it out from under the house and into the open to safety.
It was dark when he found him, and the sun rose when the dog crawled out, but all that time was worth saving this pup’s life.
Watch how ABC News Team helped save this dog in the video below.
