Legally Blind Son Heroically Rescues Mother From Flooded NYC Basement Apartment

Sep 13, 2021

Formed on Aug. 26, 2021, Hurricane Ida swept through a handful of states in the United States for several days, leaving disaster in its path. Even though the natural disaster dissipated around Sept. 4, 2021, its damaging effects were still present. Extremely heavy rainfall led to severe flooding in multiple areas in several states, specifically in Louisiana, New York and New Jersey. On top of that, several people were left without electricity for days, with some still waiting for their power to turn back on. Hurricane Ida has been classified as one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit the United States.

With so much turmoil resulting from the hurricane’s catastrophic path, many people in various states have been negatively impacted and are still continuing to recover from the severe storm. A mother from Queens, New York, is miraculously alive today thanks to her son’s heroic actions. Danette Rivera spoke with news outlets to share the story of how her legally blind son, Justin Rivera, quickly jumped into action when their basement apartment began to flood from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

Danette had originally gone down to the basement to check on how much damage there was when she was faced with an unbearable rush of water. Danette wasn’t the only one in the basement. Fortunately, the woman’s son had been able to rescue her in time after hearing her screams for help. Justin has since been given the honorable title of hero after courageously risking his own life to save his mother in September 2021.

WABC reported that Danette is alive today due to her legally blind son’s actions that saved her from drowning in her flooded basement apartment in Queens, New York. Justin heard her screams when the water began filling the apartment to a hazardous level. He managed to pull her through a small window, ultimately saving the woman’s life. “He literally saved my life right when I needed him,” Danette said.

The mother explained that her tenant had told her that the basement was flooding. After going down to assess the situation and see just how much damage had been done, she found herself trapped by a huge surge of water rushing in. “Every time I came back down to touch the ground, the water would go over my head,” Danette explained. “...I really thought I was going to drown.”

The woman mustered up enough strength to push her tenant out a small window to safety, but the water was too strong for her to compete against on her own. Danette began screaming for help. She recalled, “I said Justin, Justin I’m going to drown, I’m drowning. As loud as I can, like it was my last breath.” Fortunately, Justin heard her and came running.

“At some point she was just screaming for help,” Justin said. “I was taken aback by how deep the water was in the yard.” Despite the dangerous situation, Justin rushed into action. “There was a sense of importance, but it was like a calm rationalization of what needed to be done,” he said. Pushing his mother out of the basement window, Justin successfully saved her life. “My son is blind but he is not weak,” Danette told the Daily News. “My son saved my life. My son is my hero.”

What do you think about this son’s act of heroism to save his mother from drowning? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family members and friends, too.