4 people reunited with the man who rescued them during Hurricane Ian

A man risking his life to save others during the chaos of Hurricane Ian. One man decided to go out and help others, saving two couples from the Royal Woods neighborhood in south Fort Myers.

Austin Hayhurst insists he’s no hero. “I don’t really have a better explanation other than just it needed to be done. And I was able to do it. So I did it.”

The four people he helped rescue during Ian said he is a hero, and then some.

Caroline Calogero emailed WINK News about Hayhurst and his life-saving efforts in the Royal Woods neighborhood off Island Park Road.

“He was the hands and feet of God’s angelic host literally coming up out of nowhere, saving people, whether he knew it intended it. He was that he was that person,” said Calogero.

Tim Mitchell was the first person Hayhurst rescued. He said he was trying to get his truck to higher ground when the flood waters surrounded him.

“I got trapped in the middle of this parking lot where he came and pulled me out. He saved my life so we could save my wife’s life,” said Mitchell. “I punched a hole through my master door, and then Austin tore a hole through it. He tore a hole enough to get my wife to step through. (I) fell on my face in the water, and the whole time he is pulling us. He whispered. ‘I was trained for this.’ so he said we’re gonna survive.”

With Tim and Lisa in tow, Hayhurst saw Caroline and Michael Calogero. Caroline was wrapped around a telephone pole on Island Park Road. Michael was across the street holding their dog Rogue as high as he could.

“We kept saying over and over, ‘today’s not the day we die,'” said Michael Calogero.

“I was ready to go. If I died today, that would be okay. But I didn’t want to leave my children motherless,” said Caroline Calogero. “And then I heard take my hand swimming to my hand. and it was Austin. He came up out of nowhere. And I swam to his hand, and he brought me from over my head to where I could touch to about my chest. And he said, ‘stay here. I’m gonna go help your husband.'”

Hayhurst found Michael and eventually got both couples to a shelter. Both couples lost all their possessions but not their lives, and their bond now is unbreakable.

“We make our plans, but God has a different plan. And I think the gift and the lesson from this experience for me was that, even though we lost, it’s all material, but we gained a friendship for life,” said Lisa Doyle-Mitchell.

Hayhurst said his brother Casey also played a big part in saving people that day but couldn’t meet for the reunion.