A Young Australian Flood Hero

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes…and ages.

A teenage boy heroically sacrificed his life so that his younger brother could survive after floodwaters ravaged their Australian hometown.

Jordan Rice, 13, alerted a truck driver to his mother, Donna, and 10-year-old brother, Blake, who were clinging to a tree in Toowoomba, where a 26-foot torrent of water blasted through the city, killing nearly 10 people on Monday.

The driver tried to help Jordan, who couldn’t swim, first, but the teen told the man to rescue Blake instead.

Kyle Rice, the boys’ 16-year-old brother, said Jordan would do anything for his family.

“Courage kicked in and he would rather his little brother live,” he said.

Warren McErlean was able to rescue Blake, but when he went back to get the mother and older son, both had been swept to their deaths by the current.

A tearful McErlean told reporters that he was very sorry he “couldn’t do some more.”

Donna Rice’s partner for 30 years and the father of Jordan and Blake, John Tyson, was grateful for McEarlean’s bravery and lauded his son’s selflessness. “I can only imagine the fear coursing through his body,” Tyson told the Herald Sun.

“He won’t go down with any fanfare or anything like that - I don’t think anyone will even wear a black armband for him - but he’s just the champion of all champions, a family hero,” Tyson said.