Weatherman in US stops broadcast to save a woman during Hurricane Helene
Last week, a weatherman in the US interrupted his own broadcast to save a woman after he heard her screaming for help during Hurricane Helene.
On Friday (27 Sept), Fox Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen was in Atlanta, Georgia to cover the effects of the storm.
In a video posted by the Associated Press, Mr Van Dillen described the rising water levels in Atlanta, pointing out that a woman had driven into a flooded area.
Source: Associated Press on YouTube
The water seemingly rose to the level of the car window.
The weatherman reassured the audience that he had called emergency services and that officers from the fire department were on their way.
However, the woman’s screams can still be heard clearly in the background.
“911, they’re coming!” he said, in an attempt to calm her down. But despite his best efforts, the woman remained in great distress.
“It’s a situation. We’ll get back to you in a little bit,” Mr Van Dillen said. “I’m going to see if I can help this lady out a little bit more.”
Rejoined broadcast after saving the woman
According to Variety, Mr Van Dillen rejoined the Fox Weather broadcast about half an hour after he rescued the trapped woman.
Source: Associated Press on YouTube
Recounting the rescue, Mr Van Dillen said the water was up to his chest as he waded to the partially submerged car.
“She was panicking. She really wasn’t making too much sense,” he said. He goes on, saying the water had risen to her neck in the car.
That’s when he noted the woman probably couldn’t walk out on her own because of how high the water had gotten. “I didn’t realize how deep it was,” he said.
Seeing that he couldn’t open the car door due to the water pressure, Van Dillen asked the woman to roll down her car windows.
Thankfully, the car’s electric window was still working despite all the water — something he describes as a “miracle”.
He subsequently carried her out of the vehicle, even saving her mobile phone from getting wet.
He added that about 15 minutes later, the rescuers from the fire department arrived at the scene.
As the woman was reunited with her husband, the latter extended a handshake to Mr Van Dillen to offer his sincere gratitude.
Source: Associated Press on YouTube
According to Axios, Hurricane Helene has killed at least 52 people in southeastern America as of Saturday (28 Sept). Additionally, about 3.7 million people have reportedly experienced power outages.
Also read: What caused the sudden severe storm in S’pore on 17 Sept & is this extreme weather new?
What caused the sudden severe storm in S’pore on 17 Sept & is this extreme weather new?
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Featured image adapted from Associated Press on YouTube.
