TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) — A group of volunteers made it their mission Wednesday to save a man and his dog, who were stranded off the marsh on Tybee Island after Hurricane Helene.
The boat they live in was pushed across the marsh by the gusty wind.
“The storm took him all the way across the backside of Tybee, ended up right here,” Alex McCarthy said. “Thank God he didn’t keep going.”
McCarthy and Finn, the affected man, work together at Roofing Experts and Restorations LLC in Chatham County. Their boss, Derek Adams, and another business owner, Thomas Soloman of Soloman Tree Service, hired a crane operator to pick up Finn’s houseboat and move it to a better spot.
“This is actually the second time we’ve done this with the crane. There was another boat on the highway during Hurricane Matthew,” Soloman said.
Many people have volunteered their time and efforts after Helene to help others, and the people who helped this man were no different.
“We’re just trying to help anybody and everybody. This has been the biggest storm that I’ve seen so far in my career,” Adams said.
McCarthy said, “We help each other. You know, it’s not just work. It’s a little bit beyond that, because we’re on such a small island. It’s kind of camaraderie thing. It’s kind of like a trade system out here.”
All three men praised Finn for his positive outlook on life and his hard work.
WSAV was told that Finn’s houseboat has been relocated on the island in a safe spot closer to work.