A man who escaped floodwaters in Texas by climbing a tree passed the time until rescuers arrived by calling in to a local TV newscast, much to the surprise of the broadcasters.

The man, Kerry Packer, scrambled up the tree about 9 a.m. with his phone, which apparently had good battery life. Both he and his wife, Cecelia, called 911, and he sent his wife video footage he had taken while he was in his car and surrounded by floodwaters. As he waited to be rescued, she sent the news station, KVUE in Austin, the footage.

KVUE expected to interview Mr. Packer after he was rescued. So the anchors were clearly surprised when he called in and said he was “about 20 feet up a tree right now.”

“Wait, you’re still in the tree?” Bryan Mays, one of the newscasters, asked.

“Yeah, I’m about 20 feet up a tree,” Mr. Packer calmly responded.