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SOS in Sand Leads to Stranded Couple's Rescue
April 3, 2026
Summary
Two Colorado visitors stranded by flash floods on Oahu wrote a distress message in the sand, which a Coast Guard helicopter spotted during a storm assessment flight. The crew landed nearby and rescued Emma Stasko and Logan Bonn, who had become trapped after losing their car key and losing access to the only road out of the remote beach area.
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Quick Facts
- Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew spotted the SOS message from the air
- Seven people and a dog were rescued during the storm response
- Bonn and Stasko had been stranded nearly 24 hours before writing the message
Why It Matters
Quick thinking and visible signals enabled rescuers to find stranded people in dangerous conditions.