Grand Forks man recounts terrifying moments during Hurricane Helene rescue

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Grand Forks resident and his dog are lucky to be alive after being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in the midst of Hurricane Helene.

64-year-old Earl Barcome and his golden retriever Gunn have lived on his boat for over a year. When Helene rolled in, he decided to move and wait out the storm as long as possible. About halfway through his journey his engine failed.

“This east wind comes and my engine completely stops. Now the wind is going crazy and then it broke my inner forestay,” Barcome said as he recalled the first moments of the tragedy.

Shortly afterwards, the boat’s bilge pump stopped and it began to quickly suck in water.

He called for help but was quickly shut down.

He explained: “My radio went out so I had no contact with the outside world. My phone didn’t work… 25 miles out to sea there’s no service.”

Alone in the sea, with none other than Gunn.

“I went down and said, ‘Gunn, we’re not going to die today.’ Gunn looks at me and says, ‘Okay, Dad, let’s do this!'” Earl said.

With time running out, the US Coast Guard helicopter could be seen from above.

He described what it was like to see help along the way: “It was so fantastic! I run up there, I got this big wave going, you know, they were right there, it was amazing!”

Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Ted Hudson was lowered from a helicopter and got both Earl and Gunn into a basket and to safety.

The Coast Guard member said: “I think my adrenaline kicked in and I just went for it. I didn’t even think about it much, I’ve already experienced training situations like that.”

Both uninjured, Earl now recounts these terrible moments a whole week later, sometimes saying: “There is beauty in horror.”

“It was so beautiful. I can’t emphasize enough how amazing Mother Nature is. It was just pure power and I was allowed to be a part of it. There was no fear, I was just happy.”

Happy that God, Gunn and his selkie boat saved him that day.

Despite losing everything, he now lives in a trailer in Florida and is happy that he can live as simply as before.

To help Earl, family members have created a GoFundMe, which can be found here.

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