Former Statesman intern called hero for rescuing driver from Hurricane Ian flooding

A former American-Statesman intern turned TV news reporter found himself part of the Hurricane Ian story after he rescued a woman whose vehicle became stuck in rising water on an Orlando road.

Tony Atkins, who interned at the Statesman in 2014, is now a reporter for WESH-TV in Orlando.

Atkins was part of the team covering Hurricane Ian's impact as it rolled through Central Florida.

He saw a woman become trapped in her vehicle after she tried to drive through floodwaters covering a road in Orlando early Thursday.

Watch:Former Statesman intern rescues driver from Hurricane Ian flooding

The woman, a nurse on her way to work, began waving and asking for help. Atkins walked through the water, which came up past his waist, had the woman climb onto his back and then carried her to safety.

Describing the scene during a live report on WESH-TV, Atkins said he looked around for police or fire officials in the area before walking into the high waters to help the driver, realizing that doing so was potentially dangerous.

"I just used caution and decided to slowly make my way out there," Atkins told the station's news anchors. "I just had to."

Video of Atkins rescuing the driver went viral, and was replayed numerous times Thursday on national television networks.

On social media, numerous posters called Atkins a hero for his actions.

Atkins, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, previously worked at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh and by WHBQ-TV in Memphis.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Statesman intern called hero for rescuing driver from Ian flood