The water in her home had reached hip-level by the time she escaped with her 80-year-old mother
Residents in Grand Bahama are taking cover for the night as the hurricane rages on. Power has been cut across the island, and many who don’t have generators are left huddling in the dark as water rises.
Sarah Kirby, a resident at a shelter in Freeport on Grand Bahama, said she had escaped her home with her 80-year-old mother, her mother’s 75-year-old friend, and several others. When the water first started rising in their home, up to their hips, they had to make a split-second decision — leave, or get on the roof.
“We didn’t have an ax so we didn’t know how we’d get to the roof, we have a metal roof,” said Kirby.
Eventually they got their car moving and got to a road. They went back and rescued several of their dogs, but had to leave their cats behind.
“We’re all struggling a little bit with that. We’re hoping that the cats are pretty good about staying up, so they’ll have climbed into the attic space, that’s what we’re hoping for,” Kirby told CNN at a shelter on Monday night.
Hear her full story on CNN: — 11:10 p.m. ET, September 2, 2019