14-Year-Old Found 'Gasping for Air' and Floating on Debris Before Being Rescued from Milton Floodwaters
"It was literally out of a castaway movie, him laying on top of a fence, waving us," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister
A 14-year-old boy was one of hundreds rescued from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shared a video on Facebook of the rescue, which showed law enforcement officers arriving to rescue the submerged teen.
“Sheriff Chad Chronister and #teamHCSO's Marine Unit rescued a 14-year-old boy who was submerged in floodwaters and floating on debris following Hurricane Milton,” the sheriff’s office wrote alongside the harrowing video.
In an interview with NBC affiliate WFLA-TV, Chronister recalled the moment he spotted the boy, saying, “It was literally out of a castaway movie, him laying on top of a fence, waving us.”
Related: Hurricane Milton Kills at Least 12 as Millions Remain Without Power in Florida: Full Recap
As the video shows, after spotting the teen floating in the high floodwaters, the officer told the teen to stay put while they turned the boat around to get closer.
The teen could then be seen getting off the floating piece of wood and throwing his shoes toward the boat as the officer told him, “We’re coming to you. Be careful.” Afterwards, the teen was able to swim to the boat as two officers reached out and pulled him to safety.
Chronister recalled that the boy — who had been trying to walk back home, but misjudged how deep the water was — was “out of breath, gasping for air as we pulled him up.” Chronister went on to say that the area was not in an evacuation zone.
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There were 350 calls for help between 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue told WFLA-TV.
Hurricane Milton made landfall around Siesta Key, Fla., around 8:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 9, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm brought maximum sustained wind speeds of 120 mph.
At least 16 people have died so far.
St. Lucie Sheriff Keith Pearson previously told CNN that "well over 100 homes” were also damaged, and as of Friday, Oct. 11, over 2 million remain without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
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