Video Shows Rescue of Man, Dog During Catastrophic Connecticut Floods

A video depicting the heroic rescue of a man and his dog who had been caught in catastrophic floods in Connecticut that killed at least two people on Sunday has made its way across social media.
A flash flooding emergency warning was issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for parts of Fairfield, New Haven, Litchfield and Hartford counties on Sunday as parts of Connecticut received nearly 10 inches of rain from what some meteorologists are calling a “1,000-year” rain event. More than 100 people were evacuated in the state on Sunday, the Associated Press reported, with Governor Ned Lamont declaring a state of emergency.
The sudden and severe floods caught many people off guard, including one motorist whose car nearly became submerged in a flooded intersection in Southbury. In a video shared by AccuWeather on X, formerly Twitter, and filmed by a woman named Tania Carver, a man bravely wades into the floodwaters to rescue the man and his dog. The motorist, who is an amputee, can be seen scrambling out of the vehicle with the help of his rescuer, prosthetic leg in hand.
“A driver was stranded in floodwaters as heavy rain hit Southbury, Connecticut on Sunday,” text over the video read. “A Good Samaritan rescued the driver, then returned for the dog and prosthetic leg. Everyone was safe.”
The video then shows the Good Samaritan moving to the back door of the car. When opened, a dog can be seen in the flooded backseat.
Carver said everyone made it safely to dry land where the driver was able to place his prosthetic back on his leg and stand up, FOX Weather reported.
The AP also reported about a Good Samaritan named Lucas Barber who rescued a man and his dog in Southbury, although Newsweek was unable to verify if the man in Carver’s video is the same man mentioned in the AP’s report.
The storm—which isn’t related to Hurricane Ernesto, a Category 1 storm currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean—brought torrential rain to New York and New Jersey as well. Although the storms aren’t related, the hurricane is bringing dangerous rip currents to the Northeast.
Parts of the East Coast, including much of Delaware and New Jersey, remained under a flood warning on Monday.
More rain is expected in Connecticut, the NWS warned, but NWS meteorologist Bill Goodman told Newsweek that the showers will be short-lived compared to Sunday’s downpour.
However, the extra moisture could contribute to flooding, given how saturated the ground already is, Goodman said. He added that dry weather will return on Tuesday and remain through the weekend.