Cries For Help Saved An Elderly Long Barn Man Trapped In Home
Long Barn, CA – Imagine being trapped in your home for days surrounded by deep snow with no electricity or way to communicate with the outside world.
That was the case for an elderly man in the Long Barn area along Long Barn Sugar Pine Road this weekend. Then out of nowhere he suddenly heard voices outside and started screaming for help. Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services Coordinator Dore Bietz relays they had tree crews working on damage in the area and she recounts, “They [tree crew] heard a man yelling. So, they went to the home and found an elderly gentleman with pre-existing medical conditions laying down on the floor. He had been down probably for a couple of days with no heat, no nothing.”
Due to the eight feet of snow, it was impossible to get an ambulance to the home, so a coordinated rescue effort began including a Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Deputy, local fire, EMS, and PG&E. Bietz details, “With the help of PG&E special equipment, a Bobcat, to plow in order to get the individual from their home to the ambulance. We are very thankful that we just happened to be in the right place and heard the individual and able to get them the resources that they needed.”
It took them about an hour to get the man out of the home. Bietz disclosed that the man is in his 70s and was suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. She says she does not have an update on his condition but wants to remind residents, “We really want to stress the importance of neighbors checking on each other during these times. We’re very fortunate that a horrific situation was avoided. It could have ended up worse.”
