"Any Time. I'll Do It Again": A Husband Hugged This Weatherman After He Saved His Wife's Life In Hurricane Helene Flooding, And The Video Is Remarkable
Hurricane Helene has devastated a number of southern states over the last few days. Forceful winds and dangerously high floodwaters caused damage spanning 500 miles.
Fox weatherman Bob Van Dillen was in North Atlanta along Peachtree Creek reporting on the hurricane for Fox & Friends, when he heard the chilling screams of a woman behind him.
He explained to the news anchors that she drove right into the floodwaters. He then looked into the camera and told viewers he'd already called 911, before turning around and yelling to the woman, "We gotcha! 911, they're coming. You're good."
The woman screamed even louder in response. You can't hear what she said, but Bob then turned to the camera and said, "Oh man, it’s a situation. We’ll get back to you in a little bit. I’m gonna go see if I can help this lady out a little bit more you guys. I’ll be back."
Van Dillen walks off-camera, and the segment ends with the anchors in the studio who explain what happened.
The next thing we see is the woman on his back. You can see her car in the background, but only a quarter of the windows and the roof. One of the news anchors exclaimed, "That guy is a hero!"
HEROIC RESCUE: @foxweather meteorologist rushes to save a woman from rising floodwaters as deadly Helene slams Southeast. pic.twitter.com/Nv9tvtFJoF
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 27, 2024
Two different news anchors interviewed Bob on Fox News about what happened as the clip replayed. "I realized, I'm with you guys, I'm on the air, but I got — I can't. I can't let it go. So I just — I dropped everything and I took my wallet out of my pants, and I went there, waded in, chest deep," he said.
He explained that the water was rising and flooding into the car, so he told the woman to undo her seatbelt, took her belongings, and put her on his back. He confirmed that she was okay, just cold. So he gave her a Fox Weather shirt to wear as she waited for her husband in a news vehicle.
The woman's husband arrived while Bob was live on the air. He hugged Bob and thanked him for saving his wife. "Any time. I’ll do it again," Bob replied.
As if that didn't already pull at our heartstrings enough, a few seconds later the man walked back over to Bob to ask for his name, and shook his hand again before leaving.
Then, Bob went back to work.
The clip got a heartwarming reaction on social media. Many people pointed out how great of a person Van Dillen is. "Beautiful Guy beautiful Soul."
Beautiful Guy beautiful Soul
— faivem ⚪️ (@faivem05) September 27, 2024
And lots of people called it a rare, bright moment on the news. "It's the media that's constantly pitting us against each other. But I still have faith in the goodness of humanity."
It's the media that's constantly pitting us against each other. But I still have faith in the goodness of humanity.
— T.t (@tosino007) September 27, 2024
According to CNN, Hurricane Helene was accompanied by 130 inches of rain, and has left at least 140 people dead across six states.
