“This is why we became police officers.”
That’s what officers in Lakeland, Florida said after they rescued a family stranded inside a car submerged in water as Hurricane Irma hit the state.
A group of Lakeland Officers received a call at 12:30 am on Monday, Sept. 11, about a family whose car got stuck in a ditch and was submerged in 4 feet of water, according to their Facebook post.
Even though it was late at night and the bulk of Hurricane Irma was about to hit Lakeland, the team of officers did not shy away from the task. The team arrived at Swindell Road in a MRAP vehicle, a truck which is able to travel in high waters and even handle intense winds.
When officers arrived at the scene they found two adults and two small children.
They wrote in their Facebook post, “The water had reached the kids’ car seats. Thankfully… all were not injured and officers were able to safely get them out of the car for transport. With no injuries, they were taken to their house.”
Three photos the department posted show the rescue in progress.
The two children were aged 6-months- and 10-months-old respectively.
“When you become a police officer you hope you make a difference in the lives of others. Tonight, there is no doubt these officers made a difference!”
Hurricane Irma weakened from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm on Monday morning, but it’s still producing heavy wind gusts and rainfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an 8 a.m. Monday update.
The storm is “still producing some wind gusts to near hurricane force,” the NHC stated.
At 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 11, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office warned that San Marco, Riverside, Downtown Jax, Southampton, and Landon Park in Jacksonville are all under mandatory evacuation.
The storm is located about 30 miles north-northeast of Cedar Key and 105 miles north-northwest of Tampa—with 70 mph winds, the NHC said.
