John and Heidi Edwards sat trapped in their Lamplighter Village home for more than four hours after Heidi called 911 for help, floodwater rising around them and their dog Eris with nowhere to go. When rescue finally arrived, it came in the form of an Orange County deputy who waded through chest-deep water to carry the four-year-old Labrador to safety before helping the couple out by boat.
A Family’s Hours-Long Wait
The Edwardses lived in Lamplighter Village, the Melbourne retirement community that became one of the hardest-hit areas in Brevard County after relentless rain overwhelmed the area, according to FOX 35 Orlando. Heidi Edwards called 911 to request evacuation help, and the family waited more than four hours before Orange County Deputy Benjamin Hayden reached them. Hayden waded through the floodwater and carried Eris to safety himself before the couple was evacuated by boat to dry ground.
Eris is more than a pet to the Edwards family. John Edwards, who suffers from dementia and strokes, called her his constant companion, while Heidi Edwards described the emotional support dog as having been sent to them from God. Looking back on the rescue, Heidi Edwards said Hayden helped them during their most devastating moment. Hayden, for his part, kept it simple, saying this is what they train for and that the family was safe with him. It wasn’t his first time pulling a dog from floodwater — he previously rescued a stranded animal after Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Historic Rainfall Overwhelms the Community
The scale of flooding behind the Edwardses’ ordeal was staggering. The storm dumped at least 20 inches of rain on south Brevard in under 24 hours, and some areas of the county recorded up to two feet of rain over two days, according to WFTV. Monday’s flooding left parts of the West Melbourne-area retirement community underwater, damaged vehicles and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate, per a separate report from News 13.
The response drew resources from across the region. Brevard County Fire and Rescue and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office used airboats and military-style vehicles to reach people trapped in high water, the station reported. Volusia County high-water rescue crews also responded to Brevard overnight to help evacuate residents, in a response that included the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to WFTV.
Conflicting Rescue Counts
Just how many people were pulled from the floodwaters remains unclear. Brevard County Emergency Management was reported to have said about 100 rescues took place in Lamplighter Village, while a separate account attributed to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials and local emergency teams put the number at hundreds rescued using airboats and military-style vehicles, per News 13’s reporting. WFTV, meanwhile, reported that deputies conducted about 14 high-water rescue evacuations in the community. As of late Tuesday afternoon, Brevard County Emergency Management said no injuries had been reported within Lamplighter Village, the outlet noted…