As a hurricane battered New Orleans an off-duty emergency room nurse became an unexpected hero. Miles Crawford, a veteran ER nurse atwas at home with his dog, Annie, when he saw the storm’s devastating impact firsthand.
Around 8:45 p.m., Crawford, accustomed to the chaos of hurricanes, was watching the storm from his porch. His brother texted him about a news crew near the canal, a notoriously flood-prone area just 200 feet from Crawford’s home. With the canal flooding rapidly, Crawford decided to investigate.
Upon arrival, Crawford saw police cars and WDSU news reporter Jonah Gilmore, who was struggling to get help for a man trapped in a submerged pickup truck. “I was stressed,” Gilmore said. “I can’t just jump into rushing floodwater and I’m also trying to do my job, but it’s like, what do I do because it’s live on TV and this guy is in his car stuck and he can’t get out.”
Determined to help, Crawford approached Gilmore, offering his medical expertise and supplies. “I was like, ‘Hey, I’m an ER Nurse. I’ve got medical supplies. Do y’all need anything? I can help out,’” Crawford said. The reporter welcomed the help, but Crawford soon learned that the police deemed the situation too dangerous to intervene directly.
Undeterred, Crawford decided to act. “I don’t blame the cop,” Crawford noted. “If I was him, I wouldn’t have gone in there by myself to try and get that guy out because he had no backup. I was like, ‘Well, if I go in there, at least he can facilitate my rescue if something were to happen.’”
Crawford rushed home to grab a hammer, then plunged into the rising floodwaters. Despite the water reaching his chest, he waded through carefully to avoid hidden hazards. “I kicked off my boots and walked in that water making sure I don’t fall,” Crawford described. “I go over there and I get up to the window and I say, ‘Can you get in the back seat?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’”
Miles Crawford. Photo courtesy of University Medical Center-LCMC Health New Orleans
Inside the truck, the water was up to the driver’s chin. “The water’s rising pretty quick,” the driver said. Crawford used his hammer to break the truck’s window and assisted the man out. “I just grabbed him,” Crawford said. “He was unsteady on his feet. I started to fall back into the water.” Crawford helped the man to a guardrail, and together they made it to dry land.
This guy is so brave and selfless, he’s legit a hero,” Gilmore said.
For Crawford, it was a routine response, albeit an extraordinary one. “Honestly, I don’t see it as going above and beyond — it’s actually pretty easy compared to what we do here in the emergency room,” he said. Not on duty because of the storm, Crawford is also studying to become a nurse practitioner. After the heroic rescue, both Crawford and Gilmore stressed how important staying safe during a disaster was. “Stay off the road,” Crawford said. “Wait to be safe. Help out.”
