Neighbor carries 80-year-old heart patient and his dog through Florida floodwaters

Very few would run to help someone in need in the midst of a raging flood. Rick Addante, a resident of Turtle Creek in Palm Bay, Florida, did exactly that. On November 2, 2026, the rain wouldn't stop and flooded Eastern Florida. Floodwaters rose rapidly and entered homes. Addante knew several elderly neighbors who needed help and sprang into action. FOX Weather covered the story of Addante carrying 80-year-old widower Terry and his dog Bella to safety. The video was shared on November 4, 2026, and it reached over 24, 400 views and 110 likes.

'Dire straits'

Rick Addante had two neighbors who could not escape the flood on their own. 80-year-old Terry, a recent widower, lived alone with his dog Bella. He had just had open-heart surgery. He had a son, but because of his back injury, he was unable to rescue his elderly father. The other neighbor was in a motorized wheelchair due to his progressive Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Addante told the news outlet, "Nobody expected this to happen. All of a sudden, everything just started rising so quickly, and the streets started filling up." After he checked on both neighbors, Addante reported, "Both of them were in kind of dire straits."

Teamed up with FWC

Addante knew he had to get Terry out of the house when the water reached their knees. He looked out to see the water almost touching the top of the mailboxes. The rescue wouldn't have been possible without the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) airboats. The current was so strong that Addante abandoned his initial plan to get Terry across the flooded street himself. Instead, he moved him to a safer spot where an approaching FWC airboat could pick him up. On November 3, Addante took to X to report that Terry was doing fine, and he had been reunited with his family. Addante also helped the neighbor with ALS to evacuate along with his wife and daughter.

Neighbors in need

During adversity, sometimes one's last hope is their neighbor. An online survey conducted from April 24 through June 3, 2024 of 2,989 U.S. adults found that 60.2% of respondents said they relied on their neighbors to help them during a natural disaster, 64.6% depended on local governments, while 63.8% said they relied on the National Guard.

In Terry's case, Addante was the neighbor who saved him. Addante not only saved Terry and his neighbor with ALS, but also three other people who were trapped on the second floor of their house. He also worked with the FWC to coordinate several rescues. In turn, Addante's neighbors pitched in to help his own family, while he was rescuing those who needed his help. He told FOX Weather, "It really was a big team effort of a lot of people from a lot of churches, and neighbors who came together."

'Angel among us'

Netizens praised Addante's bravery in the comment section. @Jskittles26 commented, "That's really wonderful looking out for your neighbors." @chriswalker1848 added, "Thank you God and all who were a part of this Godly act."

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