MORE STORIES OF THE DISASTER
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A 17 year old George McIntyre was at a coffee shop with his father when the flood caused by the St. Francis Dam rushed towards them. George and his father thrashed around in the water until they managed to find a pole to cling on to. George's father was washed away, as he couldn't hold onto the pole any longer. George was ripped from the pole shortly after his father and ended up in a nearby tree, rendering him unconscious.
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In Fillmore, California, a worker named Juan Carillo received a warning to evacuate his family. After he had driven his family to a higher ground, he briefly got out of the car to warn another neighbor. When he came back out, his car, along with his wife and kids had been carried away by the water wall.
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Another terrifying story is the one of Dave Mathews. It all began as he was driving home from work. He encountered his brother and warned him about his concerns of the dam and told him to evacuate his family as soon as possible. His brother said not to worry and that he would move tomorrow. Sadly, that night as his brother was sleeping, he and his family got carried away by the waters.
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In Santa Paula, Thornton Edwards received a call at 1:30 a.m. letting him know the flood was coming. He was called the “Paul Revere of the St. Francis Flood” because he alerted everyone to the situation, the only difference was that Paul Revere used a horse, Thornton Edwards used a motorcycle. He was able to give a many people an hour's notice so that they could evacuate.
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