Hawaii neighbors use tractor to rescue 98-year-old from flood

When Hawaii faced its worst flooding in 20 years, community members showed what real neighbors can do. In the Mokuleia neighborhood on Oahu, a group of local men came together to rescue a 98-year-old woman from her flooding home using a front-loading tractor.

Mark Talaei was walking through the flooded neighborhood looking for people who needed help. He found a family trying to evacuate their 98-year-old neighbor from her home as brown muddy water rose around her porch. The flooding reached up to people's knees in many areas.

First responders and local volunteers in wetsuits tried to carry the woman to safety. But the community had a better idea. A group of neighbors arrived with a front-loading tractor, with four men riding in the bucket. They carefully helped the woman, still in her wheelchair, into the tractor bucket with her legs wrapped in a trash bag to stay dry.

The rescue video has inspired thousands of people online. "This is what happens when people move with heart," one viewer wrote. The woman's granddaughter thanked the community for coming together during the crisis. The flooding has caused over $1 billion in damages across Hawaii, but stories like this show how we support each other when disaster strikes.

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