Teen Girl Was Stranded in Flooded Car by Hurricane Helene Until Deputies 'Sprung into Action' for Rescue: See Video

Mar. 15, 2025

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office praised the work of its deputiesin a post on X, sharing bodycam footage of the rescue where officials are seen assisting the girl before her family was set to arrive.

“#teamHCSO sprung into action when one teenager was left stranded after attempting to drive through flooded waters on … We are glad we were able to get her to safety and out of harm’s way,” the sheriff’s office’s post reads.

Representatives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.

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Heleneofficially made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bendon Thursday along the Gulf of Mexico, federal weather officials said.

The storm initially had sustained winds of 140 mph and was the strongest storm to hit Florida’s Big Bend area in recorded history. It made landfall about 10 miles west-southwest of the city of Perry, according to theNational Hurricane Center.

HCSO Sheriff/X

“Helene stands toe-to-toe with any of the threats that Florida has faced over the past 10 years or indeed really over hurricane history,” Ryan Truchelut, a meteorologist and hurricane forecaster, previouslytoldUSA Today.

Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, toldCNNthat Helene would likely be a “historic inland flooding event,” adding, “Historically speaking, 50% of lives lost are in a setup like this. We’re probably going to lose a lot of lives in this setup with this much flooding potential.”

Before Helene made landfall, theNational Hurricane Centerwarned it could bring “life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rains” to much of Florida and parts of the southeastern U.S.

At least 10 people are dead, including at least seven people in Georgia alone, and millions of people are without power as of early on Friday, Sept. 27.

source: people.com