Oklahoma Tornado Survivor Finds Missing Dog Amid Debris—Watch Now

Barbara Garcia reunited with her pooch, which had remained trapped under the rubble but miraculously survived

By Alexis L. Loinaz May 21, 2013 5:59 PMTags

Time to break out the tissues—you've been warned.

In the aftermath of the devastating tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., and left at least two dozen dead and 200 more injured, a survivor found a shining symbol of hope when she was reunited with her missing dog, which had been buried underneath the rubble but miraculously survived.

And the unbelievable moment was all captured on tape.

In footage taken by CBS News, local resident Barbara Garcia surveyed the damage while recounting her ordeal, explaining that she was "sitting on the stool, holding my dog—this was the game plan all through the years, you know, to go in that little bathroom."

But as soon as the power cut off, "I felt the stool come up out of the floor," she says, "and I rolled around a little bit." Her dog, however, was nowhere to be found.

As Garcia looks out on the wreckage, a crew member suddenly spots Garcia's dog, which is lying trapped underneath the rubble.

The cameras continue to roll as Garcia helps her pooch escape, her voice overcome with emotion.

"Well, I thought God just answered one prayer: Let me be OK," she says through tears. "He answered both of them, because this was my second prayer, poor little baby."

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama addressed the nation and pledged his unwavering support to those affected by the tragedy.

"The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground, there for them, beside them as long as it takes," he vowed.