A Chol Hamoed family outing in the Catskills ended with tremendous nissim Tuesday after a boat carrying what appeared to be a family overturned near Route 42 in Kiamesha.
B’chasdei Hashem, everyone aboard the boat was wearing a life vest when the vessel overturned, allowing them to remain afloat in the cold water while help rushed toward them.
A Catskills Hatzolah volunteer arriving at the scene immediately grabbed another boat from the shoreline and began paddling toward the stranded group. At the same time, four Hatzolah members — still fully dressed — jumped into the water and began swimming toward them.
The group was able to hold onto another boat as rescuers reached them and safely brought everyone back to shore.
Catskills Hatzolah and additional emergency personnel responded to the scene.
B’chasdei Hashem, everyone involved is reported to be okay, with the primary concern being exposure to the cold.
What could have ended as a Chol Hamoed tragedy instead concluded with everyone safely back on dry land — thanks to the life vests, the rapid response of Hatzolah members, and tremendous Siyata Dishmaya.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
2 Responses
“A Chol Hamoed family outing in the Catskills ended with tremendous nissim Tuesday after a boat carrying what appeared to be a family overturned near Route 42 in Kiamesha.
B’chasdei Hashem, everyone aboard the boat was wearing a life vest when the vessel overturned, allowing them to remain afloat in the cold water while help rushed toward them.”
So, they were all wearing life vests as they should have, and life jackets keep people afloat in exactly this type of situation. Then, by all means, be grateful to Hashem that it all turned out well, but what were the “tremendous nissim” that occurred?
You want the grand parting of the sea before you call it a miracle. You want a pillar of fire in the Catskills so you can finally feel something other than the steady hum of your own routine. The miracle is not that the laws of physics took a day off. The miracle is that you woke up this morning with breath in your lungs and a Tuesday waiting for you to actually show up to it. You have built a life where everything is accounted for, managed, and insured, and you mistake that predictability for safety. When the gear works and the rescue happens, you measure the event instead of looking at the Giver who set the whole machinery running in the first place. Stop waiting for the boat to flip before you remember who is holding the water.