Maryland Father Instinctively Saves Daughter In Flooded Elementary School

A father in Maryland is making headlines after rushing into his daughter’s elementary school and saving her from dangerous floodwaters.

After a sudden flash flood swept through the small town of Westernport last week, more than 150 students and 50 staff members became trapped in the classrooms at Westernport Elementary School.

That is when Dustin Nash, the father of 9-year-old Aria, raced toward the school as quickly as he could.

The Maryland man said he arrived as the bottom of the school was flooding, and teachers were keeping kids on the upper floors of the school building waiting for rescue.\

“I just panicked when we first saw the parking lot. I just thought what every other parent would think, I had to get to my daughter. So that’s what I did. I jumped the fence, got to my daughter, and got her out of there,” Nash recalled.

Nash could later be seen in photos and video carrying the young girl on his shoulders through chest-deep water.

Nash Reacted With His Fatherly Instincts

The father, who acted instinctively despite the dangers of the floodwaters, said he was not going to sit back and do nothing.

“I’m not gonna sit around and wait for somebody else to come get my kid,” Nash said. “I just got there in time. It got worse afterwards so, I just reacted, that was the only thought I had was getting my little girl out of there,” he continued.

The Deadly Impacts Of The Severe Flooding

While all of the students from Aria’s school were later rescued by emergency personnel, not everyone caught up in the flood was as fortunate.

Jordan Sims, a 12-year-old Virginia boy who was swept away by rushing water, was later pronounced deceased after his body was found the next morning.

Sims went missing after he ventured out with his older sister hoping to see the rising water, and allegedly slipped into danger and washed away.

“Jordan was a valued member of our Henley community. He was bright, kind and deeply loved by classmates and staff alike,” Henley Principal Rick Vrhovac said of the boy. “His loss is devastating, and we know it will affect every member of our school family in different ways.”