A Hudson, Que. resident of 25 years was in danger of losing his house to the rising flood waters when a few passersby came to his rescue.

Katie Mitchell and her friends were driving along when they saw the homeowner, known as Nelson of St. Claire, single-handedly trying to protect his property.

“I said, ‘Oh my God you can’t do this alone!’ So I stayed,” she told Âé¶čŽ«Ăœ.

Mitchell, along with a couple others, helped Nelson stack sandbags around his house.

Before they knew it, a whole army of strangers had gathered to lend a hand.

“I can’t imagine what he’s going through,” said a volunteer who gave his name as Bobby. “You don’t wish that on your worse enemy, right?”

“That’s just what makes a community a community,” added another helper.

Sandbag after sandbag, everyone made sure the house was protected.

“Sometimes when it’s your own place you’re kind of paralyzed because you don’t know what to do,” said Nelson. “It was pretty scary. I didn’t think [the water] was going to come this high.”

Water levels rose 10 centimetres overnight but by late Monday, it looked like everyone’s hard work had paid off.

The water had been kept at bay and Nelson’s basement was dry.

Nelson is grateful for all his new friends’ help. He’s a chef, so he hopes to pay everyone back with some good food.

“After the water goes down we’re going to empty all of the bags and we’re going to have a beach party,” he said.

With a report from CTV’s Vanessa Lee in Hudson, Que.