Terrifying flash flood footage shows teen fighting for survival: 'It was a life or death situation'

A flash flood is no joke. High waters can appear seemingly out of nowhere and create high-speed currents.

Heavy rain led to flash floods in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 9, and a teenager found herself caught in the middle of the horror.

Catherine Ke, an 18-year-old TikTok user, was driving to her boyfriend’s house through high waters when she ran into flood waters and her car suddenly turned off.

She told BuzzFeed that she decided to record what was going on to both to share on TikTok and to explain to her insurance company what happened.

“My car engine turned off and the battery was still on and I started hydroplaning,” she said. “Then the water started coming in, and my first thought was to get out of the car and walk to the non-flooded part of the street.”

In the video, Ke showed her car quickly filling up with water, then cut to footage of herself holding on to a tree and talking to a 911 operator for nearly an hour.

In the process, she said she lost a designer purse and ruined her favorite sweatpants.

“There was a lot going on in my head … at first I was worried about my wallet being lost, but then I realized it was a life or death situation,” she told BuzzFeed.

Ke said there were a number of failed attempts to rescue her, including one by her mother, whose car also flooded. She was finally saved by a boat and escaped without any injuries aside from a bruised arm.

Experts say that if your car is ever surrounded by water, get out, find higher ground and wait for rescuers like Ke did.

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