Hurricane Hero: Fox News Meteorology Reporter Rescues Woman From Drowning During Live Broadcast While Helene Raged

During Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, a Fox News reporter saw a woman in her car calling for help

The reporter then called 9-1-1. As the broadcast continued, it became evident that the police would not arrive in time.  So the reporter took matters into his own hands.

He dispensed with his microphone, and he waded through waist deep water to the woman’s car.  After getting the door open, he hoisted her up and carried her over the flood waters, effectively saving her from the serious possibility of drowning.

This is what can happen when the observers (journalists)  decide they can’t just let something bad happen to someone, and they can help.  Not everyone will do this, so we honor this reporter for his courage and kindness to a woman he didn’t know, but he risked his life for her.

The reporter, Bob Van Dillen, had the following to say about the encounter when he was interviewed on Fox and Friends:

“I know that we’re swamped here with all of the 911 calls, because there are so many high-water rescues that we’ve already documented so far… [she] called 911 and, five minutes, 10 minutes, and you could hear screaming, right? You could hear through my live shot, real loud…

“So I just said, ‘You know what? I realize I’m with you guys on the air, but I can’t let it go.’…

“I took my wallet out of my pants, and I went in there, waded in, got chest deep,…

“You know how it is. I was concerned that one, maybe there was a nice swift current, but the current really wasn’t that bad. But, the water temperature I was afraid of, too. The water temperature is probably about 80 [degrees]. So, all of those things were working pretty nicely, so, that being said, the water came up to about my chest…  ”

“She was in there, she was still strapped into her car and the water was actually rising and getting up into the car itself, so she was about, almost neck deep submerged in her own car.”

When the meteorologist was asked by the host what would have happened if he had not rescued her, he replied simply, “She would have drowned.”

“You know, I don’t know,” Van Dillen humbly said. “I told her ‘OK, undo your seatbelt,’ she undid her seatbelt. I said, ‘Let me have your phone, let me have your bags,’ then put [her] on my back and we walked in… she’s fine, she was in shock…

“She was cold, shivering, so I gave her one of my shirts and she was in our car, just warming up, about 20 minutes later the fire department came, saw that we were OK and went on to the next rescue, wherever they’re going.  Her husband just picked her up about five minutes ago.”

Hurricane Helene is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 257 above the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Mississippi. Image Credit – NASA

Debris such as a picnic table scattered on the road after Hurricane Helene. Image Credit – Florida Fish and Wildlife

FWC officer surveys damage as a result of Hurricane Helene. Image Credit – Florida Fish and Wildlife

Thia is not the first time this happened:  Reporting for TODAY, NBC’s Blayne Alexander shares video of WESH 2 News reporter Tony Atkins saving a nurse from flood waters after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida. This was two years ago, and you can see the video of this rescue below.  Some may remember seeing this at the time:

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Banner Image: FWC officer surveys damage as a result of Hurricane Helene. Image Credit – Florida Fish and Wildlife