Woman Rescued From Car Amid Hurricane Ian Floods in Wild Viral Video

A dramatic video from Naples, Florida shows the city’s brave firefighters rescuing a woman from a car submerged during Hurricane Ian on Wednesday. The hurricane left Naples and other communities along Florida’s west coast devastated with flooding and high wind, even before it made landfall near Cayo Costa in the afternoon. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is now taking a “search, secure, and stabilize” approach after the storm moved through the state Thursday morning.

Late Wednesday, the Naples Fire-Rescue Department shared a video of a woman being rescued by a firefighter after her car was stuck in waist-deep water. The firefighter needed to use a hammer to break open the winder on the driver’s side passenger door to open it. He then spoke with the woman, who was able to open her door. The firefighter was joined by another, who gave them a life jacket to put on the driver.

The video ended with the two first responders helping the woman to safety, with her car stuck in the water. “Water rescue in the City earlier today. Please let this be a lesson to stay off the roads when flooding is possible,” the fire department captioned the video.

The hurricane, which was downgraded to a tropical depression, hit western Florida hard. “The impacts of this storm are historic and the damage that has been done is historic,” DeSantis said in Tallahassee Thursday, reports the Tallahassee Democrat. “We’ve never seen a flood event like this, we’ve never seen a storm surge of this magnitude.”

President Joe Biden and DeSantis are working closely together, the president said from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington. It is possible that the storm could become one of the worst in Florida’s history. “The numbers are still unclear, but we’re hearing early reports of what may be a substantial loss of life,” Biden said. The president already approved a major disaster declaration for Florida, which makes federal funding accessible for nine counties affected by the hurricane.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that lives have been “forever changed” by the storm. “We have some very complex problems that we are going to have to solve… We have the right teams in place who are ready to help those who need it most,” she said.

Officials in Collier County, which includes Naples, announced a precautionary boil-water notice for residents, reports the Naples Daily News. The notice covers residents west of U.S. 41. Although system pressure was maintained during the hurricane, officials issued the notice as a precaution. The notice will stay in effect until biological testing is completed within 48 hours.

Around noon, Naples also lifted a curfew, but warned that “most roads that are impassible and hazardous have been barricaded, but people still need to remain cautious and alert.” Monique Barnhart-Tiberio, Naples’ communications and public outreach manager, added that the city “wants to remind people when driving that an all-flashing red or completely dark traffic signal is to be treated as a 4-way stop.” Stalled vehicles are being taken to Baker Park and Naples Pier and all city beach ends are closed.