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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Tim Hanlon

Couple rescued by helicopter after two months trapped in cabin by snow

A couple and their dog were dramatically rescued by helicopter after they were blocked in by snow for two months in California.

Footage shows the wood cabin surrounded by trees and thick snow which had left the couple trapped since December 6.

Snow can be seen reaching up to almost the roof of the cabin while a car is also half submerged.

The California Highway Patrol's Valley Division Air Operations sent a helicopter to bring them out by helicopter after receiving a call from the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office.

The trapped couple had called authorities after they had started to run out of supplies.

The couple had been trapped since December 6 (California Highway Patrol)

Police said that they had been stuck at their home due to fallen trees and the thick snow in the region.

The exact location of the cabin has not been revealed but the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office is based in Downieville, in northern California.

The helicopter had to battle difficult weather conditions including strong winds to land near the cabin.

Then the couple and the dog were flown to a safe location.

The California Highway Patrol's Valley Division Air Operations wrote on Facebook : "Yesterday afternoon, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance with rescuing two trapped people.

"Two people had been snowed in their cabin since December 6th. Unable to leave due to snow and downed trees, they were running out of supplies.

There has been heavy snow in the region (California Highway Patrol)

"CHP helicopter (H-20) was requested to assist due to the remote location and blocked roads. H-20 was able to land near the cabin, while very strong winds were blowing.

"The pair and their dog were flown in H-20 to a landing zone where Sierra County Deputies transported them to a safe location."

California has been experiencing extreme weather with the impact of global warming and back-to-back years with less rain normal and record-breaking heat waves.

There was finally rain in October and then their was a huge amount of snowfall last December - with more than 17 feet in the Sierra Nevada, which was the most on record, it is reported.

While the snow has been positive due to the ongoing drought there is still a lot more rainfall needed to make up for the deficit, said Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist and station manager at the University of California, Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Laboratory.

"We are really concerned about the upcoming months not having as many storms," Schwartz told CNN.

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