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WHP580 Newsroom

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Family narrowly escapes after flood swallows Harrisburg apartment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS21/WHP) — A Harrisburg family has been left with nothing after floodwaters from Saturday's storm broke through their ground floor apartment late last night.

A glass door going out to the back porch of the apartment burst under the pressure of the water, flooding the entire property. The family has been left with nothing.

Marika Gulledge was home at the time of the flood, along with her children, aged 2 and 3, and her boyfriend.

"My first instinct was we have to get out-- we have to get our kids out of here," said Gulledge. "I literally grabbed my kids, I had one in my arm, one in my hand and by the time we got to the front door, the glass broke-- the water rushed through and by the time I looked back at him the door slammed and we were split up."

Gulledge's boyfriend became trapped inside, unable to get out of the front door, he swam to their bedroom window-- his only hope.

"I was scared that something had pushed him over just with how forceful the water was-- I was scared something was on top of him," she said.

Once Gulledge got her kids to safety, she ran around the side of the building to find her boyfriend-- still trapped inside.

"I started banging on our bedroom window and that's when I heard he was trying to come out. I told him 'break the window', 'break the window'."

All four made it to safety last night, but have been left with nothing but the clothes on their back.

It took the floodwater several hours to drain from the complex, majority of the other basement apartments suffering the same fate, tenants lucky to be alive.

Though the flood destroyed everything the family owned— its Gulledge's spirit that's been left unbroken.

"I just know That there's something greater coming and everything is gonna sort itself out," said Gulledge.


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