A man swam half a mile in floodwaters to save his drowning mother after she refused to evacuate her home in the face of Hurricane Ian.
Johnny Lauder’s mother, Karen, 86, has decided not to leave her home in Naples, Florida before Ian made landfall with winds of 150 mph on Wednesday.
It flooded about 6 inches during Hurricane Irma in 2017 – so she assumed water levels would be similar to Ian’s.
But when the storm hit this week, the water in the house was more than 91cm deep – eventually reaching his chest.
“I could have gone to a shelter, but I didn’t think it would be that bad,” Ms. Lauder told NBC News.
Her son was at his eldest son’s house about 800 meters away, having also not evacuated for fear of leaving his mother behind.
It was then that she made a distress call.
“She said the water was coming up to her wheelchair and hitting her navel,” Mr Lauder said.
At this point, he helped his three children crawl into his son’s attic with the three family pets and dived out the window to save his mother.
45 minutes of swimming in the flooded streets
It took him 45 minutes of swimming against the current through five feet of floodwater – with various vehicles floating alongside him – to reach Ms Lauder’s house.
“It was a really tough swim, if you can call it that, and I knew the water was coming in faster and faster,” he said.
“I was aware of the dangers any type of current could put me in, I could be hit by debris, but my mum was there and I knew she didn’t have much time.”
But he added: “Who wouldn’t pick up their mother?”
Mr Lauder took photos throughout the trip so he could send them back to his family as proof that he was okay.
Arrived at home, he heard the cries of his mother.
“It was a feeling of terror and relief at the same time,” he said.
“The terror was that I didn’t know if something was falling on her or if she was stuck and hurt. But the relief was knowing there was still air in her lungs.”
Show signs of hypothermia
As a former rescue diver and police officer, he could see that she was showing signs of hypothermia and had wounds on her body. So he lifted her onto a table and wrapped her in sheets until the water calmed down.
After three hours, he was able to get her to safety in her wheelchair – with the help of his son.
Ms Lauder was taken to hospital after contracting infections, but her son said: “They have been treated and she is warm. She is in a soft, comfortable bed. She is fine.”
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Mr. Lauder, his eldest son and his mother all saw their homes destroyed.
Her sister-in-law in Miami set up a crowdfunder which raised more than $17,000 (£15,050) after it emerged the family had no rental insurance.
“All of that can be replaced, life cannot,” Lauder said.
“My mom has changed her tune: she’ll evacuate next time. I hope people learn from other people’s mistakes and not their own.”
Her mother added: “I’m so happy to be here today.”