MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Hurrican Ian: Mother swims out of wreckage with her baby in a plastic bin

Florida mother saves herself and her baby boy's life by swimming out of her home with her infant son tucked safely into a plastic storage bin

BY SAMYUKHTHA L KM

PUBLISHED OCT 8, 2022

Callie Brown and her husband Chad Duckwall saved themselves and their son Charlie from the wreckage caused by Hurricane Ian in Fort Meyers, Florida. (TODAY Parent)

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: In the midst of Hurricane Ian, a Florida mother managed to swim out of the wreckage to save both herself and her baby. Interestingly, she cleverly tucked her son into a buoyant plastic storage bin that floated instead of carrying him in her arms.

Callie Brown, 36, went to extreme lengths to ensure the safety of her son, Charlie, 3, by thinking on her feet in the moment of emergency. But while they did evacuate just in time, the family was nowhere close to being prepared to do so. When the storm was expected to hit Tampa, Brown and her husband Charlie Duckwall felt confident that it would not affect them in their home — they live 2 hours away from Tampa, in Fort Myers, Florida.

Woman in labor reveals horrifying ordeal as she and her fiance drove to hospital through Hurricane Ian

However, the storm did hit their area and Brown watched as a palm tree came very close to falling down on their home. She had moved her son and her cat to the safer side of the house when the tree finally crashed on the roof of their house. The water had seeped into their house within minutes of the tree crashing.

People walk along the beach looking at property damaged by Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Bonita Springs, Florida. The storm made a U.S. landfall on Cayo Costa, Florida, and brought high winds, storm surges, and rain to the area causing severe damage. — People walk along the beach looking at property damaged by Hurricane Ian on September 29, 2022 in Florida (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

"I'm pacing with Charlie in my arms and thinking, 'OK, OK, we'll get through this,'" Brown said to TODAY Parents, "I didn't have much time to process because five minutes later, the water started seeping inside the house." She says that her house was soon five foot deep in water. This proved to be a nightmare for Brown, who herself is only a few feet taller. Brown managed to evacuate with her son and husband Duckwall who had received a message from a neighbour asking them to make it to another house at the end of their street that stands on higher ground.

Clear plastic bins to the rescue

Brown found a few clear Tupperware storage containers that were filled with christmas trinkets. She emptied them out and put her son in one of those and her cat Tucker, in the other. She then handed over the storage bin with the cat to her husband and held the bin with son herself. The pair swam through the water, against the current.

In this aerial view, vehicles make their way through a flooded area after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. — In this aerial view, vehicles make their way through a flooded area after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage(Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

With their hands linked so they wouldn't be separated, the pair kept swimming until they got hit into the side of an RV, with a lanai. Duckwall was quick to punch a hole into it and the family swam through, finally getting to safety for the night.

In the midst of all the chaos however, their son Charlie, whom the pair fought hard to keep safe, remained mostly asleep. Brown says, "Charlie wasn't screaming, he was looking around, content as can be, probably thinking he was at a water park."

Wind gusts blow across Sarasota Bay as Hurricane Ian churns to the south on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. The storm made a U.S. landfall at Cayo Costa, Florida this afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds over 140 miles per hour in some areas. — Wind gusts blow across Sarasota Bay as Hurricane Ian churns to the south on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. The storm made a U.S. landfall at Cayo Costa, Florida this afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds over 140 miles per her our in some areas. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

The aftermath

The next day, the couple walked through water that was a foot deep to do some damage assessment for their house. Sadly, there was a lot of damage. She says, 'There's nothing really left to our home — it's unlivable.' The couple had purchased their home a year ago and they have lost all their possessions to the hurricane. The family is now keeping well and they expect to begin repairs with their savings and the generous donations that people have offered them.