Hurricane Ida was a nightmare for the residents of New York City. It took lives and left a lot of people hurt and traumatized. Homes and properties were destroyed.
A 47-year-old woman nearly became one of the hurricane’s victims.
Danette Rivera went down to her basement to check its condition. Her tenant told her that it was starting to flood there.
Wanting to assess the damage, Danette rushed to the basement.
Unfortunately, it was too late when she realized that it had turned into a dangerous trap. As soon as she reached her basement, the water quickly rushed in.
Danette tried hard to escape.
In an interview with ABC 7, she shared:
“Every time I came back down to touch the ground, the water would go over my head. I was covered with feces, dirty water. I really thought I was going to drown.”
Danette was able to push her tenant out of a tiny window.
However, when she attempted to escape in the same way, the water pushed her down. Its force was so strong that she started to panic. She felt helpless and she knew that she’d lose her life if she didn’t call for help.
She began screaming.
Danette called to her son Justin as loud as she could. She was going to drown and he was her last hope.
In the same interview, he shared:
“At some point she was just screaming for help. I was taken aback by how deep the water was in the yard.”
Fortunately, her 29-year-old legally blind son heard her screams.
Danette kept shouting and because of that, her son was able to locate her. He grabbed and pulled her out of the basement.
Even though her stomach and arms were badly bruised, she’s still thankful that she’s alive.
Danette admitted that she owed her life to her son. If it wasn’t for him and his courage, she wouldn’t be alive today.
She said:
“My son is blind, but he’s not weak. My son saved my life. My son is my hero.”
She also considers the moment a huge miracle in her life.
Her home may have been badly damaged but for her, the most important thing is that both of them are safe.
Danette told ABC 7:
“There was no way for me to call him. There was no way for me to contact him. So for him to come down precisely at the moment, it was amazing grace.”
Most of the people who have heard of their story praised Justin for being so brave.
One YouTube user said:
“He has to be awarded a medal of some kind of high honor for saving a life even though he is blind!”
Another one commented:
“Talk about repaying your mother!! Saving her life from anything that becomes harm to her… Bless up Sir all prayers and love sent towards your doorstep”
There was also this person who said:
“That’s truly a miracle. Having to escape a small tight window in water is crazy. And by her blind son amazing”
Watch the full story of how Justin saved his mom from drowning in the video below!
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