FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen is being hailed as a hero for rescuing a woman from her car. hurricane helen Flood waters rose rapidly during a live shoot in suburban Atlanta on Friday.
Van Dillen joined “Fox & Friends” and when she saw women in danger when a deadly storm wreaked havoc, she wondered why she could sit back and wait for first responders to help her. I explained why I couldn't do it.
“We know we’re getting a lot of 911 calls here because of the high volume of high water rescues we’ve already recorded… [she] When you called 911, you heard screaming for 5, 10 minutes, right? You could even hear it through my live shots, it was really loud,” Van Dillen told Steve Doocy.
Tracking Helene: live maps, power outages, wind forecasts and more
“That's her car over there,” Van Dielen added, with the car almost completely submerged in water in the background. “So I said, 'You know what? I know I'm going to be with you guys on the air, but I can't let it go.'
ST. PETE BEACH, FL – SEPTEMBER 26: Waves from the Gulf of Mexico crash onto the shore as Hurricane Helen rocks offshore on September 26, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Helen is forecast to become a major hurricane later today, bringing potentially deadly storm surge, heavy rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds to parts of Florida's west coast. (Photo by Joe Radle/Getty Images)
The FOX Weather meteorologist “dropped everything” to help the woman get out of the situation safely.
Van Dillen said Janice Dean told him not to be humble about his heroic efforts, so he “took my wallet out of my pants and went inside, up to my chest.”
“Well, I was worried that the current would be fast, but it wasn't that bad. But the water temperature was also scary. It's probably around 80 degrees.” [degrees]. I mean, all of this was working so well that, having said that, the water was up to my chest,” Van Diren added.
“She was there, still tied to her car, and the water was actually rising and soaking into the car itself, so she was almost up to her neck in water in her car.”
Dean then asks what would have happened if Van Dillen hadn't stood up.
“She would have drowned,” Dean said.
“You know, I don’t know,” Van Dillen said humbly. “I said to her, 'Okay, take off your seatbelt,' and she took off her seatbelt. I said, 'Let me have my phone, let me have my luggage,' and… [her] She put me on my back and went inside…she was okay but in shock,” Van Dillen said.
“She was cold and shivering so I gave her the shirt I had. She was warming up in the car and about 20 minutes later the fire department came and made sure we were safe. I made sure there was one, and then I went to the next rescue, wherever that was, and said, “Let's go,'' he continued. “Her husband just came to pick her up about five minutes ago.''
Video: Hurricane Helen causes record storm surge on Florida Gulf Coast
“It was a good deed that day,” Doocy said.
Hurricane Helen: FOX weather reporter Bob Van Dielen rescues woman from car during flooding in Atlanta. (Fox News)
Helen made landfall approximately 16 miles west-southwest. perryAs of 11:10 p.m. ET Thursday, the system is affecting the entire Southeast and some areas of Florida. mid atlantic as the huge storm pushed further inland and began to weaken.
While winds remain a concern, the biggest threat from Helen remains flash flood Torrential rain falls across the region, causing rivers and streams to spill over their banks onto roads and into communities, trapping residents.
The threat of flash flooding extends from the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic, with multiple flash flood emergencies being issued, including the first for Atlanta early Friday morning.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
FOX Weather contributed to this report.
