Fox Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen on Friday rescued a woman trapped in her car during Hurricane Helen's flooding.

Van Dillen was on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia reporting on the effects of the storm when he heard a woman screaming for help and stepped into deep water to help her, Fox Weather reported. Reported. reported.

“I put down my microphone and called 911,” Van Diren recalled. “I waited about five minutes because I know those guys were busy. She was panicking a little bit because the water was getting a little high,” he said. . Van Dillen, a 6-foot-1-inch man, managed to negotiate the strong currents to reach the woman and pull her to safety. (Related: Wild scenes emerge as America prepares for deadly hurricane)

The rescue was captured live on television. The footage shows Van Dillen wading through deep floodwaters while holding on to a woman. Meteorologists were moving toward dry land.

“Look, we're reunited,” Van Dillen said, pointing to the woman and her husband, who briefly hugged each other during the broadcast. The husband thanked Van Diren for helping his wife and hugged her. Van Diren told newscasters that the water was up to his chest during the rescue. Forecasters continued to report flooding.

“The water temperature is about 80 degrees. It's not cold, but it's freezing right now,” Van Diren said. “She was sitting there all alone, tied up in the car, so I know she was cold,” he added. Mr. Van Dillen argued that anyone in his position would have done the same thing.

Helen was upgraded to hurricane status by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Wednesday. NOAA experts said Helen could become a Category 3 or 4 hurricane when it makes landfall in Florida. Atlanta city officials closed public schools Thursday and Friday due to the expected extreme weather caused by the hurricane.