“I messed up. I need help.”

George Halpern, co-owner of Pizzamore in Mount Dora received this in a group text from his co-worker, Christina Cortez, during the heavy rainfall on Sunday evening.

As record rainfall pounded Mount Dora and Eustis, Christina was driving home along Donnelly Street when the roadway beneath her began to give way.

“She was able to stop just in time, right at the edge of what seemed like a massive drop-off,” George says. “She sent a message in our group chat saying, ‘I messed up, I need help.’ When I saw her location, I rushed down side roads to get to her.”

George says by the time he arrived, fast-moving water was rushing knee-deep across the road, and Christina’s car sat close to the collapsing edge. He managed to reach her and help her climb out through the passenger side.

“She was hysterical and in shock when I got her out,” George says. “I truly believe she was planning to stay there and wait for help, and if she had, the outcome would have been very different.”

Sometime later that evening, the roadway completely washed out. By morning, the car, now upside down at the bottom of the collapsed section, became one of the most striking images of the destruction that followed Sunday night’s flash flooding. The car’s hazard lights were still flashing when daylight broke.

Christina, a mother of two girls, has worked at Pizzamore for nearly five years. Her coworkers describe her as hardworking, humble, and deeply loyal, someone who never asks for help but always gives it freely.

She gave her account of that night, saying she was trying to make it to her parents’ house near Black Bear when the storm intensified.

“The weather was bad, but it still seemed drivable,” she says. “I was originally going to Leesburg, but after hearing about the flooding, that was not going to be an option.”

She says nothing appeared blocked off when she turned onto Donnelly Street, so she assumed the road might still be safe. But as she approached, she noticed the concrete barriers, which had been pushed out of place by the surging water, were leaning at sharp angles.

“The water was super deep, and if I hadn’t stopped when I did, I would have hit those barriers and gone off the edge of the pit,” Christina says.

That’s when she called for help in her work group chat.

“He had to park his truck a ways off so he wouldn’t get stuck and then came to my passenger side door and said, ‘You need to get out, NOW,’” she recalls. “The water was coming up almost to the concrete barriers, shuddering them. It was rushing like crazy — up to my calves, and I’m only five feet tall.”

In response, the Pizzamore team has launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Help Christina Cortez Get Back on the Road,” organized by George, to help her replace the vehicle she lost in the flood.

“Christina is one of the most genuine people you’ll ever meet,” George says. “She’s been with us through thick and thin, and now it’s our turn to be there for her.”

The restaurant’s co-owners are also providing a short-term rental vehicle to help her get back to work while the community rallies support.

“Today I’m just thanking God for keeping a hand on them both,” wrote George’s wife in a Facebook post. “I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened if they hadn’t gotten out when they did.”

Anyone wishing to contribute can visit the GoFundMe page “Help Christina Cortez Get Back on the Road,” or contact Pizzamore in Mount Dora for other ways to help.