As Hurricane Dorian hammered the Bahamas, a father braved the storm to save his disabled son when the waters rose high.
Brent Lowe, a resident of Abaco, Bahamas, almost lost everything because of Hurricane Dorian. The hurricane, which was a category 5 when it struck the island, ripped off Lowe's roof last week, forcing him to evacuate his home. According to CNN, the blind father was held up in the house with his son, who has cerebral palsy, his sister-in-law, some relatives and neighbors before the roof flew off.
Powerful winds caused the waters to quickly rise making their decision simple: everyone had to leave as soon as possible. Lowe picked up his 24-year-old son, tossed him over his shoulder and evacuated to a safer location.
"At that time, it was raining and raining hard," he recalled in an interview with CNN. "So I picked him up, threw him on my shoulder and when I stepped off my porch, my front porch, the water was chin high, up to my chin … We all had to walk out into the water and into the wind to the neighbor's house."
"I picked him up, threw him on my shoulder, and when I stepped off my porch… the water was chin-high." Brent Lowe, who is blind, carried his 24-year-old disabled son through high water and to safety in the Bahamas amid Hurricane Dorian. https://t.co/WWGKPFEqjs
pic.twitter.com/wCAQ275AuD— CNN (@CNN) September 6, 2019
The New York Times reports Lowe and his neighbors stepped off the porch of his home into chin-high water. From their vantage point, the waters did not appear as deep as they believed.
"I was terrified," Lowe told CNN. "I didn't realize the water was that deep. I was thinking maybe knee-deep. It wasn't until I stepped off and I realized, oh, I wonder if it gets deeper because that means I have to swim with him, you know what I mean."
They waded through the high waters for roughly five minutes until they reached the nearest home that was still standing. CNN reports the 49-year-old and his son are alive and well. Lowe has evacuated to the capital of Nassau where he is receiving dialysis. He has needed dialysis treatment for the past 11 years, CNN states. His son, however, is staying with Lowe's sister-in-law.
Hurricane Dorian has claimed up to 43 lives, authorities have confirmed, and has left the Lowe family — and countless others — homeless. After the waters recede, the Lowes will have to rebuild their home and their lives.
