Indian Rocks Beach, FL – In a remarkable display of bravery and community spirit, local surfer Marty Thomas, rescued a dozen people and their pets from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The category 4 hurricane made landfall, bringing with it destructive winds and torrential rain that caused severe flooding in low-lying coastal areas and claimed at least 200 lives.
As the storm surge inundated homes in Indian Rocks Beach, Thomas sprang into action.
Thomas told Fox13: “I’ve lived here all my life, and I know these waters. When I saw how bad it was getting, I knew I had to do something.” Thomas continued: “I told myself when the water was going to hit the window I would go out on my paddle board I had it anchored outside my window. I’m comfortable in the water so it didn’t affect me too much.”
Anne McIntosh, a 27-year resident of the community was trapped in her home along with her St. Bernard, brother, and sister-in-law. She was one of the people rescued by Thomas when the water trapped her inside her home.
McIntosh described the ordeal, saying: “Before I knew it I was up to my hip in water, the furniture, the appliances, everything was floating. The beds were floating. The couch was floating. My brother and his wife were on the counters.”
Thomas heard her cries, and set out in her direction on his board. He forced the door of their home open which was stuck from the rising water, and found Macintosh, holding things above her head.
“I was walking around in the back unit just thinking, ‘what am I going to do?’ And all of a sudden I hear a voice, and he’s saying, ‘We’ll get you. We’ll get you.’ And it was Marty.”
He was able to paddle Macintosh, her brother and sister-in-law to safety. Thomas said McIntosh couldn’t lift her dog so he threw the St. Bernard out the window, and once outside the dog was able to safely climb onto the board.
Using his surfboard, Thomas continued to navigate the flooded streets, rescuing stranded residents and their beloved pets.
In an interview with NBC, Marty and Ann were interviewed together. McIntosh said: “He’s an angel walking. He is the hero of Indian Rocks Beach now. And you do it so gracefully. Thank you. And I love you for it. And you deserve all the good things in life.”
Thomas replied: “Thank you. I appreciate that. You’re pretty awesome yourself.”
Martin Thomas has been surfing at Indian Rocks Beach his entire life, so when flood waters started trapping his neighbors inside their homes, he used his strength and paddle board to get to his fellow neighbors.
McIntosh now regrets the decision to stay, saying it has never flooded in her neighborhood before: “I never flood. Well, I flooded. I’ve learned a good lesson. Thanks to my angel here. I have the choice. Next time, I will evacuate.”
Thomas’s heroic actions didn’t stop with Ann McIntosh. Throughout the day, he continued to patrol the neighborhood, rescuing individuals and their pets from various homes. His final rescue came late in the evening when he saved an elderly couple and their cat from their flooded single-story home.
Thomas said he’s humbled by the spirit of his neighbors, and his friend, Michael who owns Pagano’s Pizza, who has been using his pizza place to collect and distribute goods in the aftermath of the hurricane: “My neighbors are the heroes, I mean everybody has been coming together in this community.”
Indian Rocks Beach is home to almost 4,000 people. Twelve deaths were reported in Pinellas County with three of those from Indian Rocks Beach.
As the floodwaters recede and the community begins the process of recovery, Thomas remains humble about his role. “I’m just glad I could help,” he said. “That’s what neighbors do.”
Ann described the rescue: “It was like angels from heaven, it was like, wow.”
