According to body camera footage of the incident, Orange County officers reacted immediately when a woman became trapped in the Econlockhatchee River’s raging waves on Thursday.
The woman was in a car that was being carried away by floodwaters at Dean Road and Lake Underhill Road in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which posted the footage to social media. According to deputies, a surge in the Little Econlockhatchee River was the cause of the strong stream.
RESCUE: Deputies rescued a woman on Thursday whose car was swept away by an extreme current in floodwaters at Dean & Lake Underhill where the Little Econ River surged. Five deputies formed a human chain & used rope to venture into rushing water 10 feet deep to save the woman. pic.twitter.com/idXy9yPJ6u
— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) September 30, 2022
Five deputies are seen in the video forming a “human chain” and descending into 10-foot-deep water to rescue the victim.
Later on, Friday, when News 6 reporter Lauren Cervantes went to the scene, she discovered that a portion of the road close to the intersection had fallen as floodwater was still pouring across it. Nearby barricades were formed as a barrier to drivers.
Orange County was one of many locations in Central Florida that experienced flooding as a result of Hurricane Ian. First responders have continued to handle countywide rescue attempts while county officials deal with the fallout from Ian’s journey through Central Florida.
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