How a drone, social media saved a man, dog from N.C. flooding

As floodwaters took over the first floor of Chris Williams' home Saturday night, he and his dog Lana headed upstairs to higher ground. Then they became trapped, according to ABC.

Flooding in the wake of Hurricane Matthew left brought waters near the rooftops of homes in the the North Carolina town of Hope Mills. The power went out in Chris’ house. Lana couldn’t swim.

Their eventual rescue came in the forms of a camera drone, two FEMA workers and a timely interaction on social media.

Chris had managed to text his parents, KXAN reported. They told his brother Craig Williams, who had followed the flooding from his home in Austin, Texas. Calls from the family to rescue services in Chris’ area wouldn’t go through.

Then, on Sunday, Craig came across a photo on social media of a neighborhood nearly under water. He forwarded the picture to his brother to try and lighten his mood.

"I saw this incredibly devastated neighborhood, where you couldn't see anything, just the rooftops," Craig told ABC.

"Then I sent it to him as a joke and was like, 'Well, at least it's not as bad as this.' And he said, 'That's my house.'”

What followed was nothing short of a Twitter miracle.

The online photographer was identified by CNN as Quavas Hart of nearby Fayetteville. Without a boat himself, Hart said he used his drone to get the attention of FEMA rescuers who eventually brought Chris and Lana to safety.

"I directed them over there to where Chris was,” Hart told the network. “They wouldn't have checked that house had I not distracted them with my drone.”

Naturally, the drone captured the whole rescue on Twitter: