A 35-year-old Texas firefighter was able to rescue his fiancee’s wedding dress from the wrath of Hurricane Harvey, despite his home being inundated with several feet of water.
Kyle Parry took a short break from a 100-hour shift rescuing Texas residents trapped in floodwaters to check on the important garment, his fiancée, Stephanie Hoekstra, told ABC News.
READ: Pastor and His Wife Among Victims Who Died During Hurricane Harvey
In chest-deep water, Parry navigated through his home past floating furniture and his completely submerged dirt bikes on a mission, CNN reported.
“He went into the house and walked past his stuff that was literally drowning, and hung up the dress,” she said. “Then, he went back to knocking on doors and saving people.”
Hoekstra, who lives in Ontario, pleaded with Parry to, if he could, “just try to save the dress.” She had brought it down with her during her last trip to Texas.
Parry was convinced the dress had perished, but he found it bundled up in the same closet where he had placed it in as a precaution days earlier. It was dry,
The couple, who became engaged last year, had canceled their wedding due to the storm. They will tie the knot once life has normalized in Texas, Parry said.
“Stephanie and I love each other, and we will get married,” he said. “We both agreed that my biggest [focus] is to help my fire department, and help people get back into their houses and to their day-to-day life.”
Hoekstra said that while she’s happy her fiancé found the dress, she’s just happy that he’s safe.
“You see the dress and you’re thankful for it, but I’m just happy that Kyle is OK,” Hoekstra said. “It’s a silver lining, and obviously that means the wedding is supposed to happen.”
Parry doesn’t have renter’s insurance, and his landlord doesn’t have flood insurance. Parry’s sister-in-law, Natalie Parry, set up a GoFundMe page for the couple.
“Kyle has lost everything,” Natalie Parry wrote. “His home and all of it’s contents have been destroyed. His furniture, clothes and personal belongings are all gone. Kyle has no place to live for the time being, and only a few articles of clothing.”
Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on Aug. 25 as a Category 4 storm, causing record flooding in some parts of the Lone Star state.
(H/T: ABC News)