"Knight on a white horse": A reporter saved a woman from drowning during Hurricane Ian in Florida

NBC reporter Tony Atkins was covering the storm's impact on the area when he saw Tonya McCullough's car drowning in the flooded road.

The journalist jumped over the river and took the woman on his back, until he brought her to safety.

"He was there for me when I needed him"

news agencies

02/10/2022

Sunday, October 02, 2022, 20:53 Updated: 22:32

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Tonya McCullough, a nurse at a hospital in Orlando, Florida, in the United States, was on her way to work one night when her train got stuck in the middle of a flooded road while outside there was a violent storm, one of the storms that hit the area as part of Hurricane Ian.

Fortunately, she was spotted by NBC journalist Tony Atkins, who was just covering the impact of the devastating hurricane, and came to her aid.

Now she calls him her "knight on the white horse", and tells how he saved her life.

"It was dark and raining and gloomy. The road was completely flooded, I have no idea how deep the water was. That's when I realized I couldn't drive any further. But when I tried to go back, the car started filling with water," said McCullough.

When Atkins noticed the flooded vehicle, he began walking towards it through the deep water.

McCullough climbed out of her car window, and the reporter carried her on his back to safety.

"He was there for me when I needed him. He is the knight on my white horse, he saved me," she said.

A few days later Atkins McCullough met again.

"I was there all day and it didn't seem too dangerous. I didn't see any power lines near the water, so when I saw she needed help, I immediately jumped in," said Atkins.

In the meeting between the two, McCullough's son Stephon, who serves in the US Air Force, also joined via video call.

In a conversation with the reporter, he thanked him for saving his mother's life and added that "We should get you a medal or something like that. I'm actually looking into it with my commander, to say thank you."

"Keep being there and being helpful," McCullough told the reporter, "you never know when someone like me is going to need it. And I really appreciate it. I'm so grateful."

"He was there for me when I needed him," wrote NBC saving a woman during Hurricane Ian (photo: screenshot, Section 27 A of the Copyright Law)

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  It's the truth

The two's story of courage comes as the last remnants of Hurricane Ian pass through Virginia.

Now, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina, which were hit hard by the storm, are facing rebuilding that is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.

So far, at least 77 people have been killed in the United States since Hurricane Ian began.

This Wednesday, President of the United States Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are expected to arrive in Florida.

Their goal, according to the White House, is to "see the damage firsthand."

More in Walla!

Hurricane Ian has arrived in South Carolina: huge flooding in the streets, hundreds of thousands without power

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