Fox Weather’s Bob Van Dillen stopped reporting and started rescuing in Atlanta on Friday, when a woman cried for help as rising floodwaters from Hurricane Helene stranded her in her car. (Watch the video below.)
Van Dillen at first tried to reassure the woman that he’d called 911 and help was on the way, but the situation escalated and he excused himself from the segment.
“I’m gonna go see if I can help this lady out a little bit more,” he said. “I’ll be back.”
As the camera kept rolling, Van Dillen could be seen helping the woman out of her vehicle and carrying her on his back in high water to a point where they could both wade out of trouble.
“That guy is a hero,” one of the “Fox & Friends” morning hosts said.
Van Dillen explained to the Fox News morning show how he talked the woman through the car escape and helped her secure her personal items. “She’s fine,” he said, noting that the woman was initially cold and shivering but was able to warm up in his car. “She was in shock.”
His act of valor led to a happy reunion.
“Her husband picked her up, and she’s all good,” Van Dillen said, per Fox 5 in Atlanta. “But the story now turns not on me, but it turns to how much flooding we’ve seen. I mean... amazing amounts coming in.”
Helene made landfall in northern Florida Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane, and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. More than 4 million homes in its path were without power as of Friday morning, The Associated Press reported. At least 10 people have died.