Marty Thomas’s heroics on Indian Rocks Beach one of few uplifting stories after storm kills at least 200 people
’s deadly storm surge reportedly used his surfboard to rescue about a dozen of his neighbors – as well as pets – from flooded homes., Marty Thomas’s heroics on Indian Rocks Beach provided one of a precious few uplifting stories to come in the wake of Helene, which has killed at leastThomas leapt into action as Helene, then a category 4 storm, crashed ashore on 26 September with an intensity that pushed several feet ofinto his community.
WTVT reported that Thomas threw his surfboard out of his window, mounted it and started paddling toward McIntosh. She soon heard a voice call out, “We’ll get you. We’ll get you. We’ll get you,” and realized it was Thomas.In an interview with WTVT, Thomas said the water had reached McIntosh’s chest by the time he arrived and found her desperately holding items above her head. He joked, “Anne is tough – she didn’t even need my help,” but McIntosh assured: “He saved us … just as an angel walking.
Thomas didn’t stop there. With a flashlight-wielding friend on a second-floor balcony illuminating his way, Thomas spent the ensuing hours paddling toward any screams for help he could detect and rescued several more neighbors. Among them was a heavy St Bernard that couldn’t be lifted by his owner. WTVT recounted how Thomas grabbed the dog and threw it out the window – and the creature instinctively climbed the surfboard so his impromptu rescuer could paddle him away.
The peril confronting Thomas, McIntosh and others who endured Helene on Indian Rocks Beach was significant: as of Thursday, at least 12 deaths related to Helene – including 10 drownings – had beenVideo of Thomas showed him uncomfortably shrugging off McIntosh as she declared him “the hero of Indian Rocks Beach” on WTVT.But she wouldn’t let him squirm out of the praise.
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Marty Morton, Hey, Hey It’s Saturday star, dies aged 827NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS.
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