A family was rescued from the floodwaters of Tropical Storm Helene early Friday morning in Atlanta, including a mother, her baby, and two dogs, according to local media reports.
In Buckhead, on Battleview Drive near Peachtree Creek, a man, woman, a very small baby, and two dogs were trapped on top of a car trying to avoid the floodwaters, Fox 35 reported.
Firefighters had largely been using boats around the area to rescue people during the storm, but the water was moving too fast where the family was trapped. Instead, crews rigged a rope system and tethered themselves to dry land to pull the family to safety, according to the report.
“I was here when the family got checked out by the fire crews. They did not need medical assistance, so they are now safe and dry which is good news,” Fox 35 reporter Paul Milliken said.
The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department said crews had rescued at least 25 people in the Peachtree Creek/Peachtree Battle area.
“Those affected are sheltering in buses as the flooding continues,” according to more local media reports.
Helene made landfall in Florida around 11:10 p.m. on Thursday as a major Category 4 storm with storm surge and high wind speeds, pummeling the southeast region of the U.S. Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm as of early Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Over 4 million people are without power, spanning the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, the New York Post reported.
News outlets are reporting between seven and nine storm-related deaths as of Friday morning.
