Dear Cherubs, when a live weather report suddenly includes someone screaming for help from a sinking car, the usual broadcast priorities tend to rearrange themselves rather quickly. That is exactly what happened in Atlanta on September 27, 2024, when FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen abandoned his live shot and entered dangerous floodwater to rescue a trapped woman.
THE BROADCAST TAKES A TURN
Van Dillen was reporting from the Atlanta area during Hurricane Helene when he heard a woman crying for help from a vehicle that had become trapped in rapidly rising water near Peachtree Creek.
According to NPR and Georgia Public Broadcasting, the woman had driven onto a flooded road before dawn and became trapped as the water rose around her car. Her screams could be heard during Van Dillen’s live television report.
Van Dillen initially called 911 and told the woman that help was coming. But after several minutes, the situation became increasingly urgent. The woman was still inside the vehicle, strapped into her seatbelt, while floodwater continued to rise.
At that point, Van Dillen made a decision that was considerably more important than finishing a weather segment: he went to help her.
THE RESCUE
Video from the broadcast shows Van Dillen wading through chest-deep floodwater toward the stranded vehicle. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, the car door was difficult to open because of the water pressure, so Van Dillen instructed the woman to lower a window.
He then released her seatbelt, pulled her from the vehicle and carried her through the floodwater on his back.
The rescue was particularly dangerous because moving floodwater can be unpredictable, and even apparently shallow water can conceal hazards or exert significant force. This was not exactly a stroll across a mildly damp car park.
Van Dillen later told reporters that the water was warmer than he had expected, although he was still freezing afterward. The woman was reportedly unharmed but cold.
After reaching safety, Van Dillen gave her his shirt and helped her into another vehicle while they waited for emergency responders and her husband. Her husband subsequently arrived and thanked him.
The remarkable part is that Van Dillen himself appeared almost embarrassed by the attention. Rather than turning the moment into a personal victory lap, he redirected attention toward the much larger flooding emergency affecting Atlanta.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the city experienced its first-ever Flash Flood Emergency that morning. The National Weather Service had warned of life-threatening flooding as exceptionally heavy rainfall associated with Helene moved through the region.
The footage became widely shared because it captured something television rarely gets to show quite so plainly: a person hearing another person’s distress and deciding that the camera could wait.
Weather reporting suddenly became secondary. Human instinct took over.
And for once, “breaking news” meant something very literal.Sources:
Associated Press — https://apnews.com/article/43210a704c5a90114168cadacca6da8e
Georgia Public Broadcasting — https://www.gpb.org/news/2024/09/27/meteorologist-in-atlanta-rescued-woman-helene-floodwaters-on-camera
FOX 5 Atlanta — https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fox-meteorologist-rescue-woman-floodwaters-atlanta.amp
The Washington Post — https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/climate-environment/fox-weather-reporter-rescues-woman-during-live-report/2024/09/27/bf6014b7-fa78-441c-8f66-af82f2b8dadd_video.html
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