ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Some of the most dramatic video coming out of southwest Florida right now is from the U.S. Coast Guard.
They’re not just pictures of the destruction, but emotional rescues in areas where people have been stranded for days. What makes the video even more unique is that they're taken from the point-of-view of one of the guardsmen conducting these incredible missions.
In one example, released by the USCG over the weekend, the man behind the camera is Petty Officer Second Class Tyler Kilbane.
Kilbane is part of a Coast Guard helicopter crew out of Miami.
The dramatic video shows Kilbane repelling to the ground before stepping foot on what’s left of Sanibel Island. That’s where he meets up with a young man named Colin, Colin’s grandmother Amy Lou, and her dog.
“Hey! You did good!” Kilbane tells them. “Yeah, thank you. I saw it - I said - look! Yeah, you did good.”
Kilbane was referring to a reflective beacon that Colin had created to get rescuers’ attention. It worked. And 20 minutes later, they were being rescued.
“Is there anybody else? No, it’s us two and the dog,” Colin tells Kilbane.
The guardsman then proceeds to help Amy Lou to a rescue basket lowered down to them by the helicopter.
“Is that your grandson?” Kilbane asks. “Good kid - he’s smart,” he tells her.
Kilbane tries to set Amy Lou at ease. He then gets her situated in a stretcher-sized basket — and as comfortable as she can be under the circumstances.
“All right. You ready to go for a ride?” he asks her.
After flashing a thumbs up to the crew hovering above them — up she goes. Minutes later, it’s Colin's turn.
He tells Kilbane he flew in on Monday night to take care of his grandmother. Since then, they’ve been cut off from the rest of the world. Roads are washed out. There’s limited cell service, and no neighbors nearby.
Another thumbs up, and Colin and the dog are on their way up to safety, too.
These incredible images are giving people not just a firsthand look at what’s taking place, but a real sense of the desperation, relief and even the humanity being shown by the Coast Guard and other rescuers during this mission.
By the end of the weekend, the Coast Guard had already rescued more than 500 people and more than 100 pets.