Neighbors hangs on 'little moments' after flood devastation

In Brevard County, now that floodwaters are receding, many have shifted into recovery mode. Hundreds of people were stuck inside their homes and many had to be rescued. Hannah McKenzie is joining us live in one of the hardest hit areas tonight. Hannah, good evening. You spoke with a couple who takes the term man's best friend very seriously. Luann is so true with the floodwaters literally rising around them. This Brevard County couple tell me they had no plans of leaving their house if they couldn't take their beloved four-year-old Labrador Eris with them. This snapshot is circulating on social media. An Orange County deputy with his hands full, rescuing a dog trapped in Brevard County floodwaters. It's a photo worth a thousand words, but in this case, some panting will have to do. Meet Eris, the dog pictured amongst the chaos, which is fitting because she shares a name with the goddess of chaos. Only it's Eris's job to stay calm, says Heidi Edwards. She's an emotional support animal that definitely has been sent to us from God, no doubt. Oh, she's just my buddy. She's It doesn't leave my side. John Edwards suffers from dementia and strokes. So as the water crept closer to their home, Heidi knew it was time to call for help. The water was up to here. Enter Deputy Benjamin Hayden. It's not his first time catching attention for saving families and their furry friends. Here he is in 2022, rescuing a dog after Hurricane Ian. I would just like to thank him. He was great. He helped us in the most devastating moment. He did it with a smile on his face and he said, this is what we trained for. We got you. I would just, I would love to hug him. The Edwards live in Lamplighter Village. The neighborhood hit hard by unprecedented flooding. I've just never seen so much water come in and take over a whole community as it did and take so long to go down. Mona James says many of their neighbors lost everything. Their homes, cars. They haven't seen people. She spent the last few days making the rounds, delivering meals, and some kindness. What I'm doing is not huge, but it's a little bit. And if everybody did a little bit, it's so awesome. Amongst the uncertainty that seems in this community right now, it's the small things making the biggest impacts. We're hanging on to these little moments. That's all we have. We tried to catch up with Deputy Hayden today, but we're told he was not available for an interview. The Edwards, though, hope he is available for a hug sometime soon. Live in Brevard County, Hannah McKenzie, Fox 35 News.