DeLAND, Fla. – When Hurricane Milton tore through DeLand last October, the rain fell hard and did not stop.
Fire Chief Todd Allen said parts of the city saw 20 inches of rain in 24 hours, with 1 inch falling in just 20 minutes.
Emergency crews were already on alert, but no one expected what came next.
At first, the reports were familiar: standing water and downed trees. Then came something different.
An entire neighborhood, Glen Eagles, was completely underwater.
“We get flooding, sure, water in homes, but a whole neighborhood? That was unusual,” Allen said.
From the air, only rooftops were visible. People were trapped inside their homes, with some forced into attics to escape the rising water.
Deputy Chief Justin Desy was stunned by the scene.
“We knew there was flooding in some neighborhoods, but once we got there, it was beyond anything any of us had imagined,” he explained.
The department had trained for this kind of crisis, a situation they hoped would never come.
But when it did, firefighters didn’t hesitate.
They entered the floodwaters alongside DeLand police officers, going door to door to rescue people, even pushing floating furniture aside to reach people trapped inside.
Firefighter Christian Vallejo said what struck him was that most of the people he encountered were seniors.
Desy said families had climbed to higher ground to get out of the water. He remembers one family in particular.
“They had climbed into the attic with their daughter and pets just to escape the floodwaters,” Desy said.
Firefighter Justin Bass said the relief on residents’ faces was unforgettable.
“They were super-relieved, just so happy to see us,” he recounted.
In total, 14 people were rescued from floodwaters in Glen Eagles.
For their bravery, Bass, Vallejo and Desy received the Distinguished Service Medal.
“They put others above themselves to make sure people were safe,” Allen said. “What they did was heroic.”
It’s a day these firefighters will always remember and hope they’ll never have to repeat.