Coast Guard rescues family of 9, dogs

DOG ISLAND, Fla. (WALA) - By looking at the video, it is hard to believe that a family is inside the home shown, nine people, to be exact.

"You get to work, look at the weather and see the tropical storm that we're flying into, and it gets your adrenaline going," said Lt. Commander Jason Dorval with the U.S. Coast Guard.

A crew from Coast Guard Sector Mobile responded to the distress call that came in around 12:30 Sunday afternoon. The family was vacationing at the home on Dog Island when the water kept getting higher and higher.

"Took us two and a half hours to get on scene. Once we got on scene and assessed the situation, water was completely surrounding the house, waves were. They wiped out the stairwell to the house so the people were trapped," said AST 2nd Class Andrew Sinclair.

The commercial vessel that brought the family to the island would not come back to get them because of the worsening conditions. You can see the family being picked up two at a time, and hoisted into the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter. All were ok.

"Unbelievable. That's why we do our job, that's what we joined the coast guard for. Just the fact that we could go do that and allow someone to be saved. It's a good feeling," said AMT 2nd Class Mike Huerta.

Coast Guard Sector Mobile was the closest sector to have a crew available for the rescue. The family was dropped off at a local airport.

Along with the family of nine, there were also two family dogs that were saved.