When they heard dogs howling in a flooded neighborhood, a group of people immediately went to investigate.
Wading through knee-deep water caused by Florence in Leland, North Carolina, they found six dogs locked inside of a flooded, outdoor kennel on Sunday.
A man wearing a red, white and blue life jacket unlocked the kennel, and the dogs made it through the water to dry land. Once the dogs were on dry land, the man also gave them food.
It was unclear how long the dogs were trapped inside or whether the owners were aware they were left.
In South Carolina, a trucker from Greenback, Tennessee saved dozens of dogs and cats from animal shelters in Florence's path before the storm hit by driving them to safety in a school bus.
Flooding continued to be a major concern as Florence dumped more than 30 inches of rain in spots since Friday on many North Carolina communities. On Sunday, fears of historic flooding grew. Tens of thousands were ordered evacuated from communities along the state's steadily rising rivers — with the Cape Fear, Little River, Lumber, Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers all projected to burst their banks.
The storm's death toll climbed to at least 18 when a 3-month-old child was killed when a tree fell across a mobile home in North Carolina on Sunday.
Contributing: Associated Press
