NBC Chicago meteorologist Byron Miranda knew things could get dangerous when a High Wind Warning took effect in Chicago, but it wasn’t just his weather knowledge that put him in the spotlight Friday.
While covering the windy weather in the city, Miranda was outside, as he often is, covering the wild conditions. That’s when he saw an elderly woman struggling to walk in the wind, and quickly jumped into action.
The woman was stuck, holding onto a building in downtown Chicago’s Mag Mile, and had nearly hit her head when she was thrown into the side of the building.
"We were out covering how dangerous it is to cross the street on Michigan Avenue on such a windy day and Mabel, my photographer, spotted the woman having difficulties. I asked her if she needed help because she looked frightened,” Miranda said.
He quickly helped her flag down a cab and he, along with a few other good Samaritans, helped the woman get into the cab.
Video of the incident was all caught on camera and shared to social media Friday afternoon, where it garnered more than 117,000 shares and nearly 10 million views.
"I'm just happy I was able to help that woman," Miranda said.
Local
Several viewers reached out to NBC Chicago to praise Miranda and the other people who jumped in to help. Several even offered to buy a new hat for the man whose hat blew away in the wind. But Miranda later assured everyone on social media that a stranger picked the hat up and returned it to its owner.
The city was under a High Wind Warning until 6 p.m. Friday, with wind gusts in excess of 50 mph expected. The powerful gusts caused damage across the entire Chicago area and left thousands without power.
