Tucson firefighters rescued a man and woman who were trapped in a storm drain just hours before torrential rains flooded the city and surrounding areas. 

The fire department responded just after 10:30 a.m local time Saturday after a passerby heard the screaming from the drain and called emergency services, NBC News station KVOA reported.

The pair, who showed signs of heat-related illness, had entered the drain willingly and became disoriented, officials told KVOA.

They spent more than eight hours in the drain, azcentral.com quoted Tucson Fire Capt. Barrett Baker as saying.

The situation was even more serious because of storms that were heading towards Tucson later in the weekend, Baker added.

"Being caught in a storm drain during a monsoon would've made this a body recovery rather than a rescue," Baker told azcentral.com. "Storm drains are just that -- storm drains. They are not people drains."

Heavy rain flooded roads throughout Tuscon on Sunday, KVOA reported in a separate story, leaving many motorists stranded. 

Firefighters had to rescue three elderly people who had tried to cross a wash, KVOA reported. A 93-year-old woman had to be carried out of the torrential waters in a stretcher. 

"You don't know what it looks like underneath that running water so when in doubt do not drown, turn around," Northwest Fire Captain Adam Goldberg told KVOA. "Somebody is not getting the message and the message is quite simple: If there is running water don't try to cross it."

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EAST POINT, Ga. -- It was as if the baby had dropped through a trap door. A terrified mom said she watched as her 1-year-old son fell into a storm drain while they were sitting on the edge of their street enjoying their Sunday evening. 

She frantically called 911, and firefighters were on the scene within minutes. 

"I was saying if you all don't hurry up, I'm going to jump in there myself," said the mother, T'pring Brown of East Point, on Monday.

But when the crew from the East Point Fire Department arrived and lifted the drain's cover, they discovered the opening was too small and quickly called in their compact rescue specialist -- Rosa Tullis, a firefighter who stands 4-foot-11.

"In the cars, in the windows, down the holes, typically it's going to be me because I am the smallest," Tullis said. "I'm slightly claustrophobic, and I'm not comfortable with it, but I'm definitely the likely choice."

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Tullis barely fit through the drain's opening as she was lowered down with a harness. She couldn't reach the child on her first try, she said, but was successful on her second. She lifted him over her head and up to safety, she said. Both of them escaped with minor scrapes and bruises. 

"That's when the tears came. It was just great to get him and see that he was safe," Tullis said. "It definitely was a joint effort, so everybody was happy and hugging and clapping."

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