Houston Neighbors Rescue Pregnant Woman With Human Chain

A pregnant woman in labor was able to deliver her baby in the hospital thanks to neighbors and firemen forming a human chain to help her get onto a truck that could drive through the flooded streets of Houston.

On Sunday, Greg Smith and his expecting wife, Andrea, saw the rising flood waters outside their Houston apartment. The two are both doctors and had only been living in the city since late July.

“We’re very new to Houston — and new to hurricanes,” Smith said during an interview with PEOPLE.

In the weeks leading up to the flood, Andrea had been experiencing serious contractions as her due date approached. On Saturday, Smith tried to keep a close eye on the weather and decided that he would drive his wife to the hospital the following morning.

At the time, there were only light rains, but everything changed on Sunday morning.

“I expected there would be five or six inches that I could drive through,” Smith said. “I woke up to two or three feet.”

Smith and Andrea realized that they were stuck at their apartment. Fortunately, Greg’s mother, Sue Chor, was already on hand to help them.

“Within a couple hours I noticed Annie having real good contractions,” Chor said.

While the baby was on the way, there were also more flood waters coming. Smith tried calling 911 but he said the rescue responders “kept kicking us off the line.”

Chor was able to contact the National Guard, but she learned that troops would not be able to arrive in time to help Andrea.

“I knew I would have to do this myself,” Smith said. “I had some courage though. Even if I had to do a home birth, I felt like it was going to be okay.”

Andrea and Smith began to prepare for a home delivery.

In their apartment complex, there are other medical professionals who work for the nearby Texas Medical Center. A neighbor was able to send out a call for help via a community message board.

Doctors arrived quickly with scissors, sutures and various medical supplies.

“I was sterilizing instruments and preparing the room, and they were making a plan,” Chor said. “My son was cool, calm and collected. He was ready to deliver his child.”

All while this was happening, and unbeknownst to the Smiths, someone had contacted a neighbor whose father lived across the street from a fire station. The man walked through the flood waters to tell the firefighters about the situation.

A large garbage truck later appeared outside and Greg went to flag them down.

“They said, ‘We’re here for you,’ ” Smith said.

“The next thing I know, there’s a ride for Annie and Greg,” Chor said. “They grabbed their coats and umbrellas and the baby’s bags. Then off they went.”

A human chain was formed to help the laboring Annie wade through waist-high water to make it safely to the truck.

“We were soaked,” Smith said. “We sat on top of all these fire hoses, while firemen drove us to the hospital. They were careful to go slow and keep us safe.”

The Smiths later arrived at the hospital where they were given dry clothes and an actual delivery room. Andrea gave birth to baby Adrielle at 1:59 a.m. on Monday.