3 great rescue stories from Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton hit Florida this week, leaving at least 10 people dead and two million without power. Amid the devastation, emergency personnel turned to heroes, rescuing their fellow Floridians (and a few furry friends) from the storm.

Here are three great rescue stories from the storm.

A 14-year-old boy is rescued

When Sheriff Chad Chronister's team saw a 14-year-old boy waving for help while holding onto a floating fence in the floodwaters of Hillsborough County, they sprung into action, People magazine reports. The boy, who was gasping for air during the ordeal, had fallen into the water while attempting to get home, not realizing the depth of the Milton-caused flooding. The rescuers — who posted a video of the ordeal on Facebook — approached by boat and successfully pulled the boy to safety.

As Chronister told NBC affiliate WFLA-TV, "It was literally out of a castaway movie, him laying on top of a fence, waving us."

A man is saved after clinging to a cooler

One Hurricane Milton survivor got lucky twice: on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued a fishing boat captain who had been stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for 17 hours during the storm. He was found clinging to a cooler about 30 miles off Longboat Key.

Despite facing winds of 75-90 mph and massive waves, the man survived the life-threatening situation thanks to his life jacket, emergency locator beacon and, of course, the cooler. He was rescued by helicopter and taken to Tampa General Hospital, where his condition is unknown.

This is not the first time this man was rescued from Hurricane Milton this week, however: he was also saved from a disabled ship, 20 miles from the shore, on Monday.

A real 'trooper' of a dog 

Pets and other animals faced serious risk during Hurricane Milton, including, unfortunately, abandonment. That includes a bull terrier, who was found tied to a fence and standing in rising waters off of Interstate 75, an evacuation route for Floridians.

A Tampa Highway Patrolman rescued the pup, who has since been named "Trooper" in honor of his savior — a video that has since gone viral. Trooper, who appears abandoned by his owners, is now in the care of Leon County Humane Society and was placed in a foster home in Tallahassee. He is looking for his forever home.

“Go out and adopt a dog because there are so many more like Trooper that didn’t get famous that still need you,” Katie Stryker, Leon County Humane Society’s graphic design and marketing coordinator, told the Independent.