Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Dramatic rescue from hurricane floodwaters caught on video in Bahamas

By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer




Dramatic rescue videos have emerged after Dorian hovered over the Bahamas for a day-and-a-half, causing residents in Freeport, Bahamas, to flee their flooded homes and seek higher ground on Tuesday.
Tim Aylen, a journalist working with The Associated Press, along with his 21-year-old daughter, Julia Aylen, and his 17-year-old son, Matthew Aylen, waded through chest-deep water as they escaped their Freeport home on Tuesday. Tim, ever the photojournalist, captured video of Julia carrying their three pet dogs as they struggled to make it through Hurricane Dorian's floodwaters.
After the ordeal was over, Tim said in a series of posts on Twitter that they safely evacuated and the dogs -- Charlie,11, Emma, 6, Cassie, 16, who wasn't seen in the photos and video -- are safe and sound too.
But there were tense moments, he said, as the video clearly showed.
Dorian pounded away at the islands Tuesday in an assault that damaged thousands of homes, trapped people in their attics and overcrowded hospitals.
"The water rose within 2 mins in the house and was up to windows. We thought about attic-trap. Roof-no way safe. We found dry land," Aylen said in a Twitter post in response to someone who'd suggested staying put might've been safer.
Videos have been shared on social media of water splashing into people's roofs as they seek shelter inside. Storm surge from Dorian gave residents very little time to escape.
bahamas flooding dorian
Julia Aylen wades through waist-deep water carrying her pet dog as she is rescued from her flooded home during Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Aylen)
"We had literally 2 mins warning as the surge came into house," Aylen said on Twitter.
Hurricane Dorian remained stationary throughout most of Monday and into Tuesday morning as winds and rain continued to pound the northwestern Bahamas, sending people fleeing into the floodwaters from one shelter to another.
Bahamas Tropical Weather
Matthew Aylen wades through waist-deep water as he is rescued from his flooded home during Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Aylen)
"My kids are really exhausted. My son went back and forth in that floodwater a few times," Aylen said, adding that in this case, the photojournalist became the story. "I had planned to shoot these same shots of evacuees myself during my coverage."
Watch the full video below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iQhCaFnP7I&w=560&h=315]
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