Julie Helen: 'I was trapped in my car by rising flood waters, the community sprung into action'

Ricky and I were returning from a birthday party on one of the evenings with bad weather and flooding.

Some of our routes were blocked off on the way in the afternoon, so we took main roads most of the way on the return journey.

I pulled in a number of times to check messages and make sure I was going the right way according to how the other families were getting on.

A few messages came through to say people had got through at Enniskeane and I breathed a sigh of relief because I am a total blow-in to the area and I don’t know the detours yet.

It was dark and coming into Enniskeane I saw a car in front of me moving through a flood. They looked as if they were alright so I followed.

Suddenly, the car in front stalled and sent a wave of water back on top of us. I looked around to find a gap to turn but there was nowhere to go. I was stuck.

It was only then I realised the water was deeper than I thought and my car promptly died. I could feel panic rise in my chest but my nearly-five-year-old was in the car, so I switched to Mom mode and called David.

When a crisis hits, I remember why I married David. He is measured, calm and solution focused and Ricky could hear that reaction so he was calm too.

Before long, the great community around us sprung into action and I was never so happy to be well-known or to be associated with David.

As soon as I was identified, the men trying to help us quickly realised that I wouldn’t be able to step out of the car into the water which was well beyond their knees standing in wellies.

I know now that there is a particular swell of the River Bandon right at the point I was at, and I wasn’t the first blow-in to be rescued from there.

I learned about the swell from David’s cousin Cyril, who came in his jeep to help us.

He called Ricky by name and told him he was Daddy’s cousin and that he was going to get us out.

In Ricky’s world, his cousins are his heroes so when he knew there were cousins on the case, we were bound to be alright.

Enniskeane is a farming community with a nice dollop of industry too.

When we were first stuck in the car and Ralph was coming towards us in his tractor, I didn’t know who he was, in fact, I still don’t know who the first man on the scene was, but I had reassured Ricky that, even if we didn’t know who people were, they were Daddy’s neighbours and friends and knew who we were.

I meant it, I knew we would be looked after in the place where David was born and reared, where he is well got and where we have been welcomed with open arms into the area.

By the time a plan was in place to get me out of the car, there was water up to my waist inside the vehicle and Ricky had already been whisked away into Cyril’s jeep.

I was wet and cold but Ricky didn’t even get wet and we were safe and that was the most important thing.

David also got stuck coming to us so his brother rescued him.

My brothers were at my house when we got there.

Thank-you to everyone who helped us, cars can be replaced and community is priceless.