TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A 14-year-old was rescued after Hurricane Milton’s floodwaters trapped him on a floating piece of a fence in the middle of Tampa, Florida.
Video published by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office showed Sheriff Chad Chronister and a deputy finding the boy floating on a street in front of a small grocery store.
“Stay right there,” the rescue crew told the boy as they spun their boat around to grab him.
Speaking with Melissa Marino of Nexstar’s WFLA, Chronister explained that the boy had evacuated from Hurricane Milton and was staying at a friend’s house.
However, when the boy tried to walk back home after the storm, he underestimated how deep the water was and could not swim well enough to get through.
“It was literally out of a castaway movie, him laying on top of a fence, waving at us,” Chronister said. “Out of breath, gasping for air as we pulled him up.”
Once the boy was pulled out of the floodwater, he was helped to solid ground before continuing home safely.
That particular neighborhood was not in an evacuation zone, Chronister acknowledged. Still, it suffered what he had referred to as “unprecedented” flooding.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue reported that 350 911 calls were made between 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and 3:30 a.m. Thursday. However, it is not known exactly how many people have been rescued yet.