Exclusive – Homeless Couple Freed by Rookie Port Hope Police Officer After Tent Collapses During Storm
Exclusive – A Port Hope Police officer rescued two homeless people after the tent they were living in collapsed, trapping them under the weight of snow during yesterday’s storm.
Constable Lisa Stapleton said everything fell into place at the right time with help from other resources for the rescue.
Stapleton spoke about the rescue to Today’s Northumberland on Tuesday at the West Beach.
While on patrol on Monday, January 17, 2022, Stapleton who has been a police officer for less than a year received a call for two people who were trapped along the west beach in Port Hope around 7:50 a.m.
A woman in her 40’s and man in his 50’s had been living in a tent for several weeks along the west beach. The tent collapsed due to the weight of the snow.
Stapleton immediately responded and noticed a snowplow in the area of Victoria Street and Sherbourne Street. Driving conditions were terrible at the time due to the heavy snowfall.
Stapleton asked the plow driver to clear the way to the scene.
“I advised him that I had a call to get too and asked him if he could help me.”
The plow driver cleared a path for the officer enabling her to get to the beach.
When the officer arrived, there was no one in site.
Given the description of the call, Stapleton went west along the beach yelling to see if anyone would hear.
About 200 metres down the beach she heard a person yelling for help in a small wooded area just north of the beach.
When Stapleton arrived to the area, she noticed the area where the people could be.
“After moving some of the snow, I could see that there was one person that was easier to access so I helped her out first.”
“The man was more buried and it was a bit more challenging to get him out.”
Part of the tent and ropes used to hang the tarp were cut to help gain access and remove the man.
It’s believed due to the heavy snowfall, the tarp collapsed onto the tent, which also collapsed, trapping the couple.
Without assistance, Stapleton believes the couple wouldn’t have been able to free themselves from the weight of the snow.
Once free, the couple were checked paramedics, but suffered no injuries.
Luckily, the couple had a cell phone and called 9-1-1 when the tent collapsed.
“It was great team work,” said Stapleton.
“Without the plow clearing a path, we wouldn’t have been able to get to the area.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love