Woman reunited with couple who rescued her from floodwaters after dramatic highway ordeal

One week after a woman was stranded atop her car in rushing highway water, she reunited with the couple who stepped in to save her.

According to 11Alive, flash flooding inundated sections of Atlanta highways in May, leaving Alana Bryant trapped as water rose around her car. Bryant recalled realizing the danger when her car began to move.

"My car swayed like a boat," she said, adding that water started coming in through the floor.

As circumstances grew more dire, George and Chyna Brathwaite noticed her. George went into the water and brought Bryant out safely while Chyna coordinated the effort.

Bryant described the couple's immediate kindness, saying: "I felt safe with them. It wasn't like I was getting into a stranger's car."

In an interview posted by Atlanta News First, Bryant reflected on the split-second decision that impacted all their lives and ended with hugs, laughter, and gratitude.

Because heavy rainfall can overwhelm drainage systems, roads can become hazardous in a matter of minutes during storms, which are becoming more intense and frequent as global temperatures rise. In many cases, floodwaters rise so quickly that drivers have little warning and even less time to react.

Bryant said she had been feeling alone before the rescue.

"I was like, wow, somebody cares," she told 11Alive. "We have to stick together, especially as a community."

The impact reached her family as well. Bryant recalled her daughter asking Brathwaite, "Are you the one that saved my mommy?"

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Chyna Brathwaite said that moment still gets to her.

"The first time I heard it, I cried," she said. "The other day, I cried. The emotions were just overwhelming. At the end of the day, we just wanted to help."

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