Atlanta 911 dispatcher helps driver get out of flooded car after heavy rains
By Jasmina Alston
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ATLANTA, Georgia (WGCL) — A man is thankful for an Atlanta 9-1-1 dispatcher who walked him through how to safely get out of his car after heavy rains caused flash flooding.
Tobreshia Horn answered the call during which the driver said his car was quickly filling with water at Pryor Circle and Claire Drive SW.
“My job is to still remain calm,” Horn said. “The more calm I am, the more calm he will be.”
Video taken from a street camera shows the rainy conditions that day and just how much water was flooding the road.
The driver, who didn’t want to be identified, told CBS46 it all happened very fast.
“I have a total different respect for flash flooding,” he said. “It happened all at once. With the doors closed and the pressure on the outsides, she said I had to pay attention to roll down the window because once the power was killed, you couldn’t roll down the window.”
According to the driver, the water had reached seat level in his car by the time he was able to get out.
Horn said the steps to safely do so include taking off the seatbelt, unlocking the doors and then try to climb out of the window.
“There’s a list of questions you have to ask, like how high is the water?” she said. “Okay, I need you to take off your seatbelt and get on top of the car.”
During the scary situation, the driver said Horn was a huge help.
“Her calmness helped me get through it,” he said.
It’s a job that Horn told CBS46, is worth it, to save a life.
“He’s alive and he’s safe,” she said.
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