After Losing His Home from Flood, Australian Man Saves 16 People and 5 Dogs

Aidan Ricketts' house in north Lismore had never flooded before, but he awoke to water pouring in before daybreak. However, Ricketts, who owns a 4.5-meter boat, was able to secure his own home before going to help those in the adjacent streets. He carried 16 people and five pets to safety on Monday.

Losing His House

In a report in Reuters, Rickets said his elevated house is above the one-in-a-hundred-year flood criterion.

"We expected to wake up to high water all around us and then go aid others." "I had the tinnie tied up outside, but by 5 a.m., the water was flowing in the house, so we simply went out and rescued other people regardless," he continued.

As he was evacuating his own family of six, Ricketts claimed he could see others needing help.

"Neighbors were sitting on roofs as we left," he added, "and we heard individuals in a roof cavity attempting to knock the tin off their roof and get out."

Picking Up Neighbors

They went over after hearing the thumping. To get out, they were trying to angle-grind and hammer the tin off the roof. We assisted them in ripping the tin off, and then another boat arrived; they were unharmed.

"I can't recall how many I saved, but at least 16 from North Lismore." I took them over the river to Hindmarsh Street, the start of a hill that leads up to Goonellabah. That's where we've made our home."

Ricketts said he couldn't know how many individuals were stuck in their houses on Tuesday because of the floodwaters.

"It's tremendous since these floods are at least two meters higher than anything we've ever seen; therefore, anybody who was certain that their home would not be swamped would have stayed." I dragged one man from his residence into our boat. He was standing in four feet of water.

According to Ricketts, the deluge was "above any records or experiences of floods," according to Ricketts.

"I don't believe any of the services' modeling was even built to accommodate this," he added. "It appears to be part of that remarkable combination of extreme weather occurrences that we are witnessing throughout the planet all the time."

Other Town Heroes

Ricketts isn't the only hero in town. After heading out at 4 a.m., Vincent Marychurch and Jeff Harris told the ABC they had rescued 25 people in their tinnie.

In the 48 hours after the harsh weather hit the northern rivers, Ricketts claimed he had scarcely slept.

Pushing Forward

On Monday afternoon, Ricketts took a break and debated whether or not to continue rescue. He said that his boat had 50 horsepower and could navigate the currents.

He said he only had one offsider in the boat since body space is limited, and only the driver and the person in the front can fit.

"We brought five dogs, as well as couples and people." Because it's still pouring, I had to keep bailing the boat."