A man swam half a mile through flood water to save his mother who was drowning after she refused to evacuate her home in the face of Hurricane Ian.
Johnny Lauder’s mother Karen, 86, has decided not to leave her home in Naples, Florida Before Ian it landed on Wednesday with winds of 150 mph.
It had flooded about six inches (15cm) during Hurricane Irma in 2017, so he thought the water levels would be similar with Ian.
But when the storm hit this week, the water in the house was more than three feet (91 cm) deep and eventually reached her chest.
“I could have gone to a shelter, but I didn’t think it would be that bad,” Ms. Lauder told NBC News.
His son was at his eldest son’s house about half a mile away, not having been evacuated even for fear of leaving his mother behind.
It was then that he sent out a distress call.
“He said the water was reaching up to his wheelchair and touching his navel,” Lauder said.
At this point, he helped his three children crawl into his son’s attic with the three family animals and dove out the window to save his mother.
Karen Lauder on a makeshift bed. Photo: Johnny Lauder / AP
45 minutes of swimming through flooded streets
It took him 45 minutes of swimming upstream through five feet of flooding – with various vehicles floating near him – to reach Ms. Lauder’s home.
“It was a very rough swim, if you can call it that, and I knew the water was rising faster and faster,” he said.
“I was aware of the dangers that any kind of current could bring me, I could be hit by debris, but my mother was there and I knew she didn’t have much time.”
But he added, “Who wouldn’t go for their mom?”
Mr. Lauder took photos during the trip so he could send them back to his family as proof that he was fine.
When he got home, he heard his mother screaming.
“It was a sense of terror and relief at the same time,” he said.
“The terror was that I didn’t know if something was falling on her or if she was trapped and injured. But the relief was knowing that there is still air in her lungs.”
Eventually they brought her back through the streets. Photo: Johnny Lauder / AP
He shows signs of hypothermia
As a former diver and police officer, he could see that she was showing signs of hypothermia and had sores on her body, so he lifted her onto a table and wrapped her in sheets while they waited for the water to go down.
After three hours he was able to push her safely into his wheelchair, with the help of his son.
Ms. Lauder was taken to the hospital after contracting an infection, but her son said, “They’ve been treated and she’s warm. She’s in a soft, comfortable bed. She’s fine.”
John and Karen Lauder. Photo: Johnny Lauder / AP
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Mr. Lauder, his eldest son and his mother were all destroyed in their homes.
Her sister-in-law in Miami set up a crowdfunder which raised more than $ 17,000 (£ 15,050) after it emerged that the family did not have rental insurance.
“Anything that can be replaced, life can’t,” Lauder said.
“My mother has changed her tone: next time she will evacuate. I hope that people learn from the mistakes of others and not from their own.”
His mother added: “I am so happy to be here today.”
