FORKS, Wash. — For the past two days, Ashley Looper has been working to catch her breath.
"It was crazy. I like didn't even know. I still really don't know what to think," said Looper, "It's obviously happened, but it just doesn't feel real yet."
Looper, her sister and their children were rescued by the Oregon Coast Guard. Video of the rescue was released by the Coast Guard on Tuesday. You can see the family being airlifted onto a helicopter.
"All I could see [the guardsman] do was [motion], 'Okay, you two are going up and then them two are going to go up.' Kind of like the hand motion of like what's going to happen. Instantly, I just like, kind of started crying," said Looper.
Monday morning the family woke up to the sound of someone yelling for help. Looper went outside to see their home outside downtown Forks was surrounded by rising floodwaters. The family contacted authorities who said to get on the roof.
When the Oregon Coast Guard arrived, Looper was brought out holding her four-year-old daughter. She said her two sons were lifted together and her sister was lifted holding her own child, a one-year-old baby.
"I kind of closed my eyes and covered up my daughter and just kind of told her, I just kept telling her 'don't look, don't look' because I couldn't," said Looper, who added she's afraid of heights.
She later returned to the house to retrieve the ashes of her husband who passed away in a logging accident. She said the floodwaters destroyed her home and car. The family was able to pack a few bags filled with things the Coast Guard carried out.
"They're like, keep it limited. So, it's kind of a weird moment when you don't know when you're going to be back, but you have to keep it limited," said Looper.
For now, the family is working with the Red Cross and staying at a hotel. Looper said before the flood, they were discussing a move. They're still planning their move forward. The family has a GoFundMe set up to help.
"[I] just thank God that they did come get us," said Looper.