After witnessing a heartbreaking video of a lady rescuing her puppy from the wreckage of her tornado-devastated Oklahoma house, many were left with the same question.
When it comes to coping with major weather occurrences throughout the country, Americans have a bad track record. With storms destroying southern Florida, you would believe that going inland is a safe bet.
However, this is not always the case.
While storms hit the Gulf of Mexico states in late summer/early fall, powerful tornadoes strike the Great Plains area every spring.
The Moore tornado, which ravaged the Oklahoma City neighborhood in 2013, was one of the region’s most devastating tornadoes in recent memory.
The tornado, rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, obliterated everything in its path, including people’s homes.
Barbara Garcia, along with her dog Bowser, sought refuge in her house during the hurricane, unable to flee due to the extensive damage to her property.
Despite the storm destroying her whole house and neighborhood, Garcia remained hopeful that she would be able to find Bowser in the ruins, and her prayers were fulfilled on TV when the pup popped his head out of a mound of rubble during an interview with CBS News.
Watch the heartwarming footage below.
As the camera moves over the confined dog, a crew member shouts, “The dog, the dog.”
Garcia, visibly overwhelmed with emotion, tried to extract Bowser from the wreckage before telling reporters that God had ‘answered’ both of her prayers.
“Well, I thought God had answered just one prayer, ‘let me be okay’… He answered both of them,” she remarked, calming the terrified dog.
“Because it’s my life…” “Poor little thing.”
The emotional reunion affected the cameraman and TV reporter, but viewers left wondering why they didn’t intervene to help Garcia release her puppy from the rubble.
One user responded to a clip of the conversation on X by asking, “Why did it take so long for the reporter or cameraman to help out?” Another user added, “The fact the crew had to tell the reporter to help…” Perhaps I’m crazy, but if I were her, I’d put down the microphone and help it without saying anything.
Online debates have widely disputed the ethical boundary between journalists reporting and participating in stories, with reporters often instructed to ‘witness’ and record occurrences. Later in the film, the news crew helps Garcia, proving they can intervene.