A video has surfaced online showing a woman being rescued from torrential waters in devastated California.
In the clip, taken in Laguna Hills, the woman, who climbed a tree to get out of the floodwaters, is seen being plucked and pulled out of harm’s way by an Orange County firefighter.
The fire department uses a helicopter to lower a firefighter into the area to grab the woman and get her to safety.
The Orange County rescue is just one in a series of incidents across the state recently hit by atmospheric river storms that have caused more than 24 trillion gallons of water to fall and resulted in the deaths of 19 people.
The woman was brought back to safety after the rescue
The rescue took place around 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Aliso Creek near the 24400 block of Christina Court in the Southern California city.
Upon arrival, Orange County Fire Authority crews found a woman holding on to a tree over the creek, just above rushing water.
The group of firefighters and rescuers initially tried to reach the woman from the ground, but were unsuccessful.
“Crews deployed to rescue from the ground and from our helicopter,” the organization said in a tweet.
The group could not reach the woman by land, so the helicopter was called in to help.
“The victim, a young adult, was selected by our helicopter rescuer and eventually lowered to the ground where she was reunited with her family,” the Orange County Fire Department said.
A helicopter helped with the terrifying rescue
The firefighter holds the woman while the helicopter lifts her
The video caught the attention of social media users, who thanked the firefighters and rescuers for their brave and heroic actions.
“Incredible work and footage, @OCFireAuthority,” said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. ‘Thanks for sharing and stay safe!’
‘A great job. We were in the area and were so relieved and grateful to the rescue team,” one woman said in a tweet.
“Now THAT is protection and service. Thanks for everything you do,” wrote another.
Officials are now using the dramatic incident to remind residents to protect themselves from flooding.
“As water continues to fill waterways, we urge everyone to stay away from the water,” the OCFA said in a tweet.
After being lifted out of the creek, the helicopter brings them over solid ground
The two are eventually placed back on the ground and others rush over to help
This is just one of many rescues across the state over the past few days and weeks
In Northern California, a woman was rescued from “gloomy circumstances” after her vehicle was caught in a flood.
The woman’s vehicle was hit by water, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Department.
She attempted to make it through the water, which a local outlet said was “at least a few feet deep,” but her vehicle eventually veered off the roadway.
Rescuers were able to paddle through the flood water in an inflatable search boat and gain access to the stranded resident.
The group reached the woman and took her back to shore and safety.
Pictured: A vehicle sank in the mud after the driver, a Santa Barbara photojournalist, tried to evacuate from her home
The flooding caused mudslides across the state, including in Montecito, home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The river was one of several in California to be swamped by the storms
The incidents are certainly not isolated, as there have been dozens of rescue operations across the country in recent weeks.
Since December, the Golden State has seen a 24 trillion gallon waterfall.
The rain has caused extensive flooding and destruction from San Diego to Eureka, and 19 people have died in weather-related incidents.
Some estimates say the storms, caused by a series of atmospheric flows, caused more than $1 billion in damage.
The torrential rains triggered rock and mudslides in some areas, including Malibu, where cars and homes were damaged by massive boulders flowing down the slopes.
Both lanes of Glenwood Rd off Highway 17 near Scotts Valley were washed out by heavy rain last night. Road workers worked all morning in the Santa Cruz Mountains
A drone view of a tree that has fallen during a winter storm with high winds in Sacramento, California
Some of the rain was welcome, however, as large parts of the state have spent months in a drought caused by drier and warmer-than-usual conditions.
However, as of Jan. 17, some areas are now reporting reservoirs that are over 100 percent full.
In Santa Clara County, southeast of San Francisco, four reservoirs have reached “full” levels, including one at 111 percent capacity.
In central and southern California, water facilities are not yet 100 percent full, but have increased with rain.
Pictured: Harry and Meghan’s neighborhood in Montecito, California, is engulfed in flooding on the exact anniversary of the 2018 Montecito Mudflows
California saw no relief from soggy rains on Tuesday as roads near Watsonville turned into torrential rivers, forcing thousands in cities caught up in deadly mudslides to evacuate
The Los Angeles River has seen severe flooding in recent days
A boulder damaged a car on the Pacific Coastal Highway in Malibu
This “big rock” fell directly onto a street in Malibu, completely shutting off access on both sides
Despite the support the rain has given to the dry and warm condition, it has certainly done more harm than good.
US President Joe Biden passed a disaster declaration for California on Saturday.
Biden had previously issued a declaration of emergency.
The orders grant the state special access to federal funds and resources badly needed to deal with the estimated $1 billion in damage.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had asked him and the federal government to intervene after he declared a state of emergency for the storms.
Pictured: A man runs from the spray of waves hitting and crossing the Redondo Beach, CA, Harbor breakwater after a storm cleared the South Bay community of Los Angeles County Thursday, January 5, 2023
Damage to a jetty is seen at Capitola Wharf on January 6, 2023 in Capitola, California
The National Weather Service warned of a ‘relentless parade of atmospheric fluxes’
Caltrans crews are working to clean up a mudslide on Highway 17 caused by heavy rain from an atmospheric river storm in the Santa Cruz Mountains
On Monday, reported how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is facing setbacks over its inability to predict the devastating storm.
The organization that publishes seasonal forecasts predicted back in October that Southern California’s Golden State would have below-average rainfall.
In its winter forecast, NOAA also forecast neither drier nor wetter than normal conditions for northern California, which includes cities such as San Francisco and San Jose.
In many areas of the state, it rained 200 to 600 percent more than normal.
In some parts, residents experienced 10 to 20 inches of rain, while certain northern inland cities saw more than 200 inches of snow.
“You really can’t rely on the overall longer-term outlook for watershed management,” said an official working in water resources management.
This is NOAA’s forecast, released in October, showing that much of California will see less rain than normal during the winter months
In reality, the atmospheric fluxes that have hit the state have caused an estimated $1 billion in damage
The organization predicted that much of the state’s drought conditions would continue or worsen
The storm left millions without power and thousands with flooded homes across the state
NOAA also predicted that parts of the state would experience above-average temperatures during the winter