Florence: South Florida rescue team receives hero's welcome in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A team of firefighters tasked with rescuing people from floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Florence stopped in Orlando on Friday on their way home to South Florida.

First responders from Central Florida gave a hero's welcome to the roughly 80 men and women who braved floodwaters as high as treetops.

They responded to a call in North Carolina involving a woman who was trapped in floodwaters.

"It was incredibly fast-moving water," said Capt. Nicholas Wohl, of Florida Task Force 2. "It was so dark you could actually hear the water almost before you could see it."

The water swept away the woman's 1-year-old son from her arms.

"They could hear the mother screaming ... and this was at night, which compounds the rescue efforts," said Chief David Fuenas, of Florida Task Force 2.

Swift-water rescue specialists tried to locate the toddler.

"When I entered the water, it went all the way up to my neck and (I) had to begin swimming," Wohl said.

Rescuers saved the woman, but her son died.

"We feel confident in our hearts and in our minds that we did everything that we could," he said. "It was still very heartbreaking for all of us to not be able bring that 1-year-old toddler back to his mom."

The task force participated in about 40 missions during the trip, saving two people and helping with evacuations and pet rescues.

The rescuers said they are grateful for the support of their fellow first responders.

"We all look out for each other on deployment, then we have our comrades looking back when we get home," said Jennifer Brown, a canine handler for the task force.

Orange County Fire Rescue said a team it sent to the Carolinas to help with rescue and relief efforts returned to Orlando on Thursday.

Cox Media Group