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Coast Guard rescue 2 people, 1 cat from sinking houseboat

Archive image: a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter stands tall at Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
At AIRSTA Elizabeth City, HC-130 Hercules and MH-60 Jayhawk aircrews are ready to respond to calls for assistance 24 hours a day.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist David Lau.

Coast Guard watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received the initial report from the Pasquotank 911 Call Center, stating that two people and their cat were aboard a 50-foot houseboat that was taking on water.

An Air Station Elizabeth City aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a boatcrew from Station Elizabeth City aboard a 29-foot Response Boat-Small were launched to assist. The two people were hoisted to the helicopter and brought to the Northeastern Regional Airport. The boatcrew took the cat aboard and returned it to its owners. No medical concerns were reported.

A Coast Guard boatcrew from Station Elizabeth City pose with a survivor rescued from a sinking houseboat on the Scuppernong River in Albemarle Sound, N.C., June 13, 2020. From the left, pictured here are Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Reese, Fireman Christopher McCann, Seaman Michael Bland, Petty Officer 3rd Class Victoria Cloin and one of the survivors.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.

“We’re fortunate that we train for these types of scenarios all of the time,” said Lt. Karisa Kealy, one of the rescuing pilots from Air Station Elizabeth City. “Even though it may be different when you are responding to an actual emergency, you have a solid foundation from your training to always fall back on. That’s what makes the Coast Guard so good at what we do.”

The rescue was the first operational hoist for Lt. Kealy and the first rescue for Petty Officer 2nd Class Martin Andrada, the flight mechanic on the case.

“Working with Petty Officer Andrada was fantastic,” said Kealy. “We were all confident in each other’s abilities and worked through the evolution as a team.”

A boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City approach a sinking houseboat on the Scuppernong River in Albemarle Sound, June 13, 2020. Two people were hoisted from the vessel and a cat was transported to shore by the boatcrew.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.
A boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City approach a sinking houseboat on the Scuppernong River in Albemarle Sound, June 13, 2020. Two people were hoisted from the vessel and a cat was transported to shore by the boatcrew. RBS. Response Boat-Small.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.
A boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City approach a sinking houseboat on the Scuppernong River in Albemarle Sound, June 13, 2020. Two people were hoisted from the vessel and a cat was transported to shore by the boatcrew. RBS. Response Boat-Small.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.

The owner is coordinating a plan with the Coast Guard to salvage the houseboat.

-USCG-

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