USA.- Stunning video from a police officer’s body camera in atlanta has captured a dramatic rescue amid devastating flooding caused by intense torrential rains last Thursday (September 14) in Atlanta, the state capital de Georgia (United States).
The rescue took place in the midst of a climate emergency which kept the city’s emergency services busy. Atlanta’s 911 call center was overwhelmed by a flood of distress calls related to extreme weather conditions as torrential rain battered the region, causing water levels to rise in streets.
That’s when a police officer, Rayando Bryan, came across a shocking scene on Peachtree Street, near the Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters. A sedan was partially submerged in the middle of the road, lfighting against the rising waters. Without wasting a second, the officer ran towards the vehicle where a captain from the Atlanta Fire Department was already there, who was trying to rescue the driver trapped inside it.
“ At first, when I first saw the car, I didn’t realize there was a person inside until I heard screaming,” Officer Bryan said. “That’s when I discovered there was someone inside the vehicle.”
The water was so deep that the vehicle had risen and the front part of it was submerged under water. The rescuers worked together, breaking the driver’s side window in order to extract the driver, whose identity is still being withheld, and take him to a safe place.
Atlanta Fire Rescue Captain Terrance Simon described the critical situation. Initially, the car was floating in much deeper water, which complicated the rescue process.
“ Shortly after breaking the window, our main objective was to remove the citizen from the vehicle. He had already been stuck there for more than 12 minutes, dealing both physically and mentally with the flooding. The water was up to our chests, but we managed to get the car to a shallower area, which allowed us to stand and better address the situation,” Simon explained. “It was then that we were able to understand the magnitude of the situation and act quickly to save a life in danger.”
This heroic act has been widely praised, and the Atlanta police recognized it in a Facebook post, highlighting the dedication of the rescuers in this critical situation. According to meteorologists, downtown Atlanta received a staggering two inches (5 centimeters) of rain in less than two hours on Thursday, triggering widespread flooding in the city.
