Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • News
  • Politics
  • Coronavirus Updates
  • Faith
  • Opinion
  • Christmas
  • Set Free Course

Meet the Epic 13-Year-Old Boy Who Used an Air Mattress to Save 17 of His Neighbors During Hurricane Harvey

Image credit: KTRK-TV
Image credit: KTRK-TV
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

September 14, 2017

An amazing story about a “surprising hero” has emerged in the wake of Hurricane Harvey: a 13-year-old boy from Dickinson, Texas, who reportedly used an inflatable air mattress to save 17 of his neighbors.

WATCH: Dash-Cam Shows Heart-Pumping Moment Hurricane Irma Sent Falling Tree Within Inches of Crushing Woman’s Moving Car

Virgil Smith told KTRK-TV about how he jumped into action when water started pouring into his apartment complex during the hurricane. It all started after he and his mom hunkered down in a stranger’s second-floor apartment and Smith received a phone call from one of his friends in another nearby building.

“He was like, ‘VJ, can you come help us because you know that we can’t swim,'” Smith said of the phone call. “I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve got to go get them right now. I’ve got to go help my friends.'”

So, rather than worry about his own safety in that moment, the selfless teen ventured back to his apartment at 2 a.m., grabbed an inflatable mattress and headed outside in the midst of darkness and uncertainty to swim through the debris to the other building.

After he found his friend and his friend’s family members, he and two other neighbors loaded them onto the mattress and pushed it back to Smith’s apartment building.

“I put him, his two sisters, one baby and his brother, and I had my other friend by the hand right here,” Smith recounted. “And I set his momma and his step-dad on the air mattress.”

But the heroism didn’t end there, as Smith went back and helped rescue others as well, including a woman who was in a wheelchair. His mom, Lisa Wallace, said her faith got her through as she watched her son in action.

“All I’m thinking about is ‘I know he’s able to save. He can rescue, he can swim,'” she said. “And I just had faith in the Lord that everything was gonna be alright.”

Listen to the teen tell the amazing story below:

Latest

  • Entertainment

    ‘You Simply Changed My Life’: Steve Harvey Pens Heartfelt Love Letter to Wife Citing ‘God’s Grace’ and His Journey Overcoming Homelessness

  • Faith

    URGENT PRAYER: Wife of Pastor Detained in China Has a Plea for the Global Church: ‘May the Lord Be Glorified…’

  • Culture

    ‘Honor Them For Their Great Sacrifice’: Chris Pratt Praises Men and Women in Uniform After WWII Veterans Surprise Him at Hollywood Premiere

  • News

    As Pro-Lifers Cheer End of Roe, Democrats Lament SCOTUS Overturning ‘Right’ to Kill the Unborn: ‘One of the Darkest Days Our Country Has Ever Seen’

  • News

    ROE NO MORE: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade: States Can Ban Abortion


Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?