Driver stuck at low water crossing rescued by helicopter
AUSTIN, Texas - When Manor police officer Nathaniel Deely arrived on the scene of a flooded Old Kimbro Road, around 7 a.m. Tuesday, the driver in the car surrounded by water was hanging out his window waiting for help.
"I knew the water was rising, you could tell the water was coming up on the tailgate of the vehicle," said Deely.
Deely got ready to go into the fast-moving water with a rescue rope and life jacket. "You just kind of do it, and after everything is said and done, you worry about when you are in it….just focus on what needs to get done," he said.
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Starflight was called because the water was moving too fast for Deely and other responders to go in. A flight crew member was lowered down, got a harness around the driver, and they were pulled to safety. It was a big moment for those watching from the roadway.
"It was kind of a weight off the shoulders," said Deely.
A few hours later south of Manor, emergency crews were called out to a scene on FM 973 where a car had crashed into a creek after the driver slid off a soggy right of way. He was lucky and not hurt.
Gregg Lane was also closed Tuesday, and as of the noon hour, there had been no rescues at that location, but it is a familiar trouble spot in the manor.
"Every time we get around this time of year, memorial day, historically we push out, turn around don’t drown, said Manor police Chief Ryan Phipps.
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The chief went on to say, those who ignore the roadblocks and drive into high water are not just risking their lives.
"It puts the firefighters and our officers at risk just in the response out there. They want to get out there to make sure everyone is safe, they are driving through that same bad weather through those conditions to get to a scene and they are risking their safety to get out there in a hurry," said Phipps.
No charges were filed in the morning rescue because barricades were not up at the time.
Only minor damage was reported from this flood event, like the fence line Bobby Sliva was having to repair near Taylor. Fast water flowing over County Road 398 after a big rain event, he says, is a regular occurrence.
"I imagine this fence will get washed down again," said Sliva. After mending his fence, Sliva says he will check to see if any of his livestock got caught up in the flood.
"I hear them and see a few of them on that side, I need to get over there and count them before I can tell, I hope they are all there," said Sliva.