Strangers rescue family from flooding after seeing social media plea for help
By Hayley Crombleholme
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PALM BAY, Florida (WESH) — Nearly 20 inches of rain caused severe flooding in Palm Bay, washing out roads, flooding homes, and leaving residents stranded in neighborhoods like Cardinal Woods.
Brittney Grant recorded video as her home filled with water, describing the terrifying experience.
“I was absolutely terrified, especially as the water was coming up higher and higher and higher, and people didn’t really understand. They’re like, ‘Oh, can you go outside?’ No, the whole street was like a river,” Grant said.
Grant, her 11-year-old son, Nikoa, and some of their dogs climbed onto their kitchen counter for safety and called 911.
“They basically said to sit on my counters or anywhere and not to move and that we were on a list, but there were no resources right now,” she said.
Grant contacted a friend, who posted a plea for help on social media.
Strangers responded to the call.
“I heard a man outside, and I got off the counter, and I opened the door, and he was there on a paddleboard. And then there was another man with a kayak, and there was another man with an inner tube,” Grant said.
Her son, Nikoa, was the first to be rescued, seen leaving on a paddleboard.
“I’m gonna be scared from this for a pretty long time,” Nikoa said.
Grant, her son, and all of her dogs made it out safely. She expressed her gratitude to those who came to their aid.
“There are no words but the humanity. They have given me full faith in humanity again,” she said.
Grant said first responders with boats eventually reached her neighborhood, but the widespread flooding kept them busy across the city.
In Palm Bay Estates, a road was completely washed out.
“It all built up back there, it busted the berm that they had, and took out our road,” Harold Campbell said.
Multiple residents reported that this was not the first time their street had been washed out.
Amid the chaos, a home in the area caught fire, but fortunately, the residents weren’t inside, according to a neighbor.
“Luckily, the people had left,” Campbell said.
The washout has left half of the neighborhood inaccessible.
The mayor of Palm Bay said Monday that once water recedes, the city will be better able to assess some of the damage.
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