Reporter helps rescue man caught in Harvey flooding, while live on air

The saying “not all superheroes wear capes” feels trite at the best of times. But in this case, it’s rather appropriate. 

A local TV reporter covering the flooding in Houston, Texas (as a result of Hurricane Harvey) came to the aid of a truck driver who was stranded in 10 feet of water. 

Reporter Brandi Smith and camera operator Mario Sandoval of KHOU 11 — a CBS-affiliated television station — were literally keeping the station’s coverage going as their studios had been evacuated earlier. 

Smith was on air when she spotted a truck surrounded by water. The driver, whose name was  reported as Robert, was stranded inside as water seeped into his vehicle. 

What happened next was human survival mode in action, live on TV: 

Smith noticed a rescue team driving by, flagged them down and brought them to the stranded driver, all the while reporting on events as they transpired. At one point she stopped to clean the lens of her photographer’s camera.

As the rescue team took their boat towards the trapped driver and hauled him to safety, Smith became emotional. 

“Incredible kudos to these two sheriff’s deputies who are risking their lives in this deep water. I’m sure he’s very wet, very cold, very frightened.” she said. 

“I finally feel like I can breathe,” she continued.  

“I just thank God that you guys were right here to get me and put me back on land safely,” Robert said in a short interview, minutes after the rescue.

The interview ended with Smith embracing the man. “This is going to sound weird but can I hug you? I so glad you’re ok,” she said. 

So there you have it. Proof that not all heroes wear capes, they also wear rain jackets and carry cameras and microphones.  

Read more: http://mashable.com/2017/08/28/reporter-houston-flooding-harvey/