DRAMATIC VIDEO: Florida man, dog rescued from sailboat just before Helene hit the state

CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man and his dog were rescued from a sailing vessel in the Gulf hours before Hurricane Helene made landfall last Thursday.

A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater helicopter crew rescued the man after his 36-foot vessel began taking on water about 25 miles off Sanibel Island.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Todd Hudson, an aviation survival technician from Air Station Clearwater, recounted the moments when he hoisted the man and his dog into the aircraft.

“I think my adrenaline kicked in and I was just going,” Hudson said. “I didn’t have to think about it too much.”

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Hudson said his training on the west coast helped prepare him to handle the waves they faced during the rescue.

“Honestly, I was super happy to be able to save a dog,” Hudson added. “I’ve always seen people do it and I finally got to do it. The dog was a little skeptical at first to jump in and then he finally decided that he had to jump in.”

When asked how the man responded to the rescue, Hudson said he “just said ‘thank you’ for saving his life.”

“When he called the coast guard, that’s when he decided to live.”

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