Woman Flees through Window with 72-Year-Old Mom after Hurricane Floods Their Home: 'Either Swim or Drown'

When floodwater entered a woman's house after Hurricane Ian hit Florida, she had no idea she would soon have to jump out of the window with her 72-year-old mother to save her life, leaving her pets behind.

Natural disasters are one of the things that are beyond our control. As Hurricane Ian headed toward Florida, the authorities issued warnings to alert the residents, attempting to minimize the potential damages.

Kissimmee was among the cities where Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc. A resident, April, shared her horrifying experience of escaping her house as the floodwater rose to dangerous levels in no time.

Rising Water

April lived with her 72-year-old mother and cats in her Kissimmee, Florida house. On the night of September 28, 2022, floodwater began to seep under her front door. At first, she thought she "could handle this," but things got out of control a few hours later.

The torrential downpour in the area caused water to rise to dangerously high levels, affecting the residents, including April. She was horrified to see herself soaked waist-deep in the floodwater. She said:

"Probably one of the worst hurricanes I've ever experienced in my life."

Almost Trapped

Like many others, April had previously experienced the devastating effects of hurricanes, but this one left her "shocked." As Hurricane Ian turned into a category 4 storm, the locals of Kissimmee were forced to evacuate their homes.

After the water level rose inside April's home, she realized she couldn't open her main door to escape. Her heart raced, but she tried to remain calm and decided to jump out of the window with her elderly mother. She said:

"You had to either swim or drown."

Narrow Escape

"I tried to put them in a bin and carry them out, but the water was so deep I had to swim in order to get to the safe ground here," April replied when an interviewer asked about her pet cats.

She revealed that she had left her cats on top of the kitchen cabinets, hoping the water wouldn't reach there. Then, she grabbed her purse, left her house through the window with her mother, and swam down the street to a safe spot. April said:

"I have actually lost track of time."

The Destruction

Parking lots, roads, houses ― almost all places were submerged in water after Hurricane Ian hit Florida. People had no choice except to leave their belongings at home and swim to a safe place.

When the winds reached dangerous speeds, the Kissimmee authorities were forced to inform people that they could no longer send fire and police crews to help residents. The rescue missions began on September 29.

"We know you need help. We are mobilizing resources to get assistance to you," Osceola County emergency manager Bill Litton stated. Meanwhile, Kissimmee City Manager Mike Steigerwald asked residents to stay indoors.

The Threats

"Folks, we are in the midst of one of the most catastrophic flooding events in the history of the city of Kissimmee," Steigerwald said. He also warned people about downed power lines in certain areas.

Since the power lines were underwater, they posed a threat to people who may wander into the streets. Areas with downed power lines did not have power due to the danger of electrocution.

Rescue Operation

Footages of airboats on the streets of Kissimmee aired on TV and circulated on the internet. Rescuers roamed the flooded streets on Wild Florida airboats, looking for people who needed help. No one had imagined seeing boats floating on those roads.

The residents had parked their vehicles in streets they thought were safe, but soon, the water entered those streets, and several cars were later seen submerged. Meanwhile, huge utility trucks rushed to residential areas to rescue people trapped inside flooded houses.

According to authorities, 127 people had been rescued by Thursday afternoon. The people were brought to a shelter house and were provided with food and dry clothes. Their pets were also allowed inside.

The catastrophic floods forced people to leave their homes, but the authorities helped them in every way possible. We pray the water gets drained soon so the families can return to their houses.

Click here to read how a Kentucky teen saved her dog from her flooded house and sat on the roof for hours, waiting for rescuers.