In Highland Falls, New York, a 35-year-old newly engaged woman, drowned after a flash flood ripped through her home on Monday as she tried to flee with her father’s dog. Rescue teams discovered the lifeless body of Pamela Nugent in the bottom of a ravine after she was swept away by the force of the water.
According to the NewYorkPost, Pamela had recently announced her engagement to her fiancé Rob on social media. The two had planned an October wedding. Tragically, the happy news was met by the unexpected, and it had been a neighbor of Pamela who watched as Pam tried to get to higher ground to avoid the turbulent power of the floodwaters.
Her house was taking too much water. she was with her dog and her fiance literally saw her swept away.
Governor Kathy Hochul press conference
Boulders in the area had dislodged, and as Pamela tried to maneuver her way with her dog, the power of the water’s surge overwhelmed her, and she was swept away. According to the New York Post, Pam’s father watched his daughter die trying to save her father’s dog; stating the 150-pound Newfoundland named Minnie, survived, but is now deeply traumatized. Pam’s Cavalier spaniel was also rescued.
The tragic situation occurred like this:
The three of them were in Ed’s house, the home Pam grew up in, which is set on a steep hill near a creek, when the flooding encircled the entire house and they watched the backyard, gazebo, and two-hundred-year-old retaining wall disappear and leave behind a cavernous hole. Then the street at the front of the house was washed away, the four-inch thick asphalt breaking off in seconds and becoming a cliff only fifty yards from the house. It looked as though the house was going to collapse next, which is what spurred the evacuation effort to higher ground across the street, which had become a river directly in front of the house. Ed’s dog Minnie, the sweet-natured 150 pound Newfoundland who keeps us all company, was found by Pam’s side, shaken up but still okay.
Memorial fundraiser
Downpours and record amounts of rainfall have pounded the East Coast. President Biden declared a state of emergency in Vermont and has ordered federal aid to help local rescue groups. New York Emergency Management has coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy 46 members of the New York Police Department and Fire Department to assist in ongoing cleanup and recovery operations.
A memorial fund has been set up to help with funeral expenses.
Rest in peace Pam.
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