Hurricane Ian is one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make landfall on Florida and is wreaking havoc in and around the state.
But regardless of the dangerous conditions, one man refused to leave a dog behind amid the Category 1 storm and risked his life in winds of up to 75 mph to save the animal from a boat. Take a look at the heroics below:
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In the dramatic footage, obtained by BNN United States, the man can be seen wading through waist-deep harbour water carrying the animal as the sailboats around him rock precariously in the wind.
Once safely out of the water, he puts the dog down and the animal immediately jumps to its feet, dragging its owner via its lead to the safety of another waiting man, who was reported to be NewsNation's Brian Entin.
The dog can then be seen wagging its tail - presumably aware that is is now safe - as it is escorted to a waiting car and it appears to bark in joy.
It has also been reported by NewsNation that the man then went back to save a cat once the dog was safe.
The Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART) said that they are in the process of heading to Florida to help retrieve and rescue any other animals who've been affected by the storm.
The organisation's co-founder, Gretchen McCallum, said: "We believe that by taking care of the animals of the folks that have been displaced, it allows them the opportunity to get their lives sorted out knowing their beloved pets are taken care of in a safe and caring environment."
The National Hurricane Centre said the hurricane is causing a 'life-threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and flooding in the Florida Peninsula', NBC reports.
PowerOutage.us reports a whopping 2,300,000 people were left without power in Florida this morning (29 September), accounting for 21 percent of all tracked customers.
An additional 12 counties within the state have reported than more than half the people in them are without it too.
The worst-hit area is currently Lee County where 90 percent of people have been left without power - equating to 425,717 customers.
Eric Silagy, the president and CEO of Florida Power & Light, ultimately described the storm as a 'life changing' event and said that its effects would be felt for weeks.
"This is a very powerful, catastrophic storm that is going to do significant damage," he said.
Hurricane Ian is also expected to affect Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, all of which were put under states of emergency, CNN reports.
Featured Image Credit: @bnnus/Twitter
Topics: US News, Weather, Animals
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