PREVIEW

A man and his dog have been rescued after their sailboat became disabled and started taking on water during Hurricane Helene.

According to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, the unnamed man and his canine companion were stranded approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Florida, on Thursday, September 26.

The powerful category four storm made landfall in the United States on Thursday evening, striking Florida first before weakening into a tropical depression as it moved inland, causing destruction in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

While on his 36-foot boat in the Gulf of Mexico, the man issued a distress call after his vessel began dangerously taking on water following the storm.

US Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater responded to the distress call, dispatching a helicopter to lift the man and his dog to safety.

Dramatic footage captured the moment of the rescue, showing the man and his loyal dog, both wearing life jackets, leaving the boat and swimming towards a rescuer who secured them to a gurney before they were hoisted up to the helicopter.

In a post shared online, the US Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater stated: "USCG Air Station Clearwater saved a man and his dog, Thursday, during Hurricane Helene after his 36-foot sailboat became disabled and started taking on water approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island."

Sanibel Island, located in Lee County, Florida, was directly in the path of Hurricane Helene as it neared the mainland.