A dramatic rescue unfolded on live television as a Fox News weatherman interrupted his broadcast to save a woman trapped in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Helene in Georgia.
According to the Daily Mail, Fox Weather reporter Bob Van Dillen was reporting from northern Atlanta when he spotted a woman who had driven into flood waters and was screaming for help.
Van Dillen initially called 911 and continued his live report while waiting for emergency services. However, as the woman's cries intensified, he made the decision to cut his broadcast short and wade into the chest-deep waters to carry her to safety himself.
The rescue occurred as Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, moved through Georgia, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Van Dillen later explained his decision to intervene, citing concerns about how long it might take for emergency services to arrive due to the high volume of calls during the storm.
Upon returning to the broadcast, Van Dillen described the woman as "panicking" and struggling to make sense of the situation when he reached her vehicle.
The storm has claimed at least 19 lives across multiple states, with seven deaths reported in Florida, eleven in Georgia, and one in North Carolina.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend area around 11:10 pm CDT on Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The storm's effects were felt far beyond the coast, with hurricane and flash flood warnings extending into northern Georgia and western North Carolina.
By Friday morning, over 3 million homes and businesses were without power across several southeastern states, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned of potential loss of life and property damage as residents awakened to the storm's aftermath on Friday morning.
The hurricane's impact was particularly severe in the sparsely populated Big Bend area of Florida's Gulf Coast, home to fishing villages and vacation spots.
Despite mandatory evacuation orders in many low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast, some residents chose to remain, with local authorities taking drastic measures to ensure identification in worst-case scenarios.
The dramatic rescue by Bob Van Dillen during live coverage highlights the dangers posed by Hurricane Helene. The storm's destructive path has left multiple states grappling with power outages, flooding, and loss of life. As recovery efforts begin, residents and authorities remain on high alert for continued threats from the weakening but still dangerous weather system.
