‘Based on my life experience water is my greatest fear, so being stranded there 45 minutes with water seeping in slowly and getting colder etc. was pretty rough’
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A provincial cabinet minister who says water is her “greatest fear” had to be rescued from her car Tuesday after being stranded on a flooded street in St. John’s, N.L.
Lisa Dempster says she drove into what she thought was “a bit of water buildup” that turned into a “huge pond” during flooding in the city.
She posted a photo on Facebook of a nearby car almost up to its headlights in water, saying her own car was actually in deeper water.
Dempster, the minister of children’s, seniors and social development in Newfoundland and Labrador, called 911 and says she was stranded for 45 minutes as cold water slowly seeped in.
Those guys kept talking me through it, yelling from the banks what they were doing next, and that I would be OK
But, she says three firefighters kept her calm and then got her out through the window, onto a ladder and then on the fire truck.
In her Facebook post, she effusively praised the firefighters for rescuing her and the other stranded motorist.
“Obviously, based on my life experience water is my greatest fear, so being stranded there 45 minutes with water seeping in slowly and getting colder etc. was pretty rough, but those guys kept talking me through it, yelling from the banks what they were doing next, and that I would be OK,” she said.
“And yes, I’m home warming up and will be just fine. But I’m so, so impressed with the level of professionalism displayed by those three young men that I just can’t close out the day without acknowledging them. It’s not just a rescue they perform, they completely ‘counsel in crisis.”‘
