Indian Rocks Beach surfer rescues a dozen people trapped in flooded homes during Hurricane Helene: ‘He saved us’

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Florida – As Hurricane Helene raged along the Gulf Coast on Thursday, a surfer on Indian Rocks Beach paddled toward the cries of people calling for help from their flooded homes.

Marty Thomas saved more than a dozen people and their pets using his surfboard alone.

Anne McIntosh, a 27-year-old Indian Rocks Beach resident, was one of those he rescued from the storm surge. She said she didn’t know how to escape when her house was under meters of water, especially because the door wouldn’t open.

READ: Pinellas County begins collecting storm debris in neighborhoods that experienced severe flooding during Helene

“The beds were floating. The couch was floating. My brother and his wife were lying on the countertops,” McIntosh said.

All three screamed for help, and two blocks down the street Thomas heard the screams. He threw his surfboard out the window and paddled toward the sound.

“I was walking around in the back unit just thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’ And all of a sudden I hear a voice and he says, ‘We’re going to get you.’ And it was Marty,” McIntosh said.

Thomas and his friend managed to break down the door and get McIntosh, her brother and his wife to safety, and they weren’t the only ones.

MORE: Company organizes fundraiser for the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary at Indian Rocks Beach

“You’re the angel of the city,” McIntosh said of Thomas.

For hours, the surfer saved about a dozen people and their pets with his board.

“She had the St. Bernard, which is a heavy dog, so she couldn’t lift him. So I just picked up the dog and threw him out the window. He jumped right on the paddleboard and was “fine,” Thomas said.

His friend on a second-floor balcony led him with a flashing light, paddling toward any sound of people calling for help.

READ: Brandon men brave Hurricane Helene’s wrath to rescue people trapped by floods: ‘It was very scary’

“He saved us,” McIntosh said. “He opened the door. He brought us to safety. And he walked like an angel.”

“Anne is tough. She didn’t even need my help,” Thomas said. “It was up to her up to this point. She wore things on her head.”

McIntosh said there had never been a single flood in her area before Hurricane Helene. Unfortunately, she said she stayed and she knows she would never do it again.

“I never flood,” McIntosh said. “Well, I’m swamped. I learned a good lesson. Thanks to my angel here. I have a choice. Next time I will evacuate.”

MORE: Pinellas County hopes to have water restored to the barrier islands by the end of the week

She said she will forever be grateful to Thomas.

“He’s a walking angel. He is now the hero of Indian Rocks Beach. And you do it so gracefully. Thanks. And I love you for it. And you deserve all the good things in life,” she told Thomas.

“Thanks. I appreciate that. “You’re pretty awesome yourself,” Thomas replied.

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