After touching down in Texas, Hurricane Harvey has done quite a lot of damage.
The historic flood has left much of Houston under feet of water and although the first wave of damage is ending, ongoing storms and floods threaten much of the region. Still, amidst the chaos are a number of inspiring and heroic stories of people helping out and rising to the occasion.
In this story, one local reporter just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
The story began when Brandi Smith was doing her rounds in Houston, reporting from the flooded beltway.
Though she was just assigned to do basic news coverage on flooding in the area, that quickly changed when she noticed something amidst the floodwater. Although there weren’t many cars out on the road (or the ones that were already submerged), Smith noticed one truck that was about to go under.
Smith noticed that the truck still had a man trapped inside.
Still, Smith was live on the air while this was happening and narrated the occasion:
“The lights are going on this truck and the windshield wipers are going and as we get a little closer, it does look like there is someone inside.”
After her realization, Smith tried to call out to the man inside the truck to no avail. Still, she knew she had to do something to help the man trapped in the truck. At that moment, a local sheriff drove by in a truck with a boat hitched to the back.
Smith ran to flag the car down and told the sheriff about the man trapped in the truck below.
The sheriff told Smith that another man driving an 18-wheeler had met his demise in a similar situation nearby just a year ago.
Because of her quick thinking, the sheriff was able to launch into the floodwater near the truck driver. By that point, the cab of the truck had already flooded and the truck driver had to float outside the window and wait for help. Fortunately, the police officers were able to get to the truck driver, pull him through the window and get him safely on the boat.
The entire experience was so moving that Smith was tearing up on air.
“I feel like I can finally breathe a sigh of relief that he is ok. And his fate will not be the same as the man who lost his life here a year ago in almost the same situation . . . and who’s to say if rescue crews weren’t here, and these guys didn’t stop, that his story would be different.”
The story was posted on various internet outlets including Twitter, where it has been retweeted almost 30,000 times.
Despite the sadness and pain that Hurricane Harvey is causing for Houston natives, brave individuals like Smith and the police on the scene that day are helping to make the situation just a little more manageable.
Still, the people of Houston can use all the help they can get.
A quick Google search of “Hurricane Harvey” brings up a donation box which makes helping out simple and easy. If you can, please consider donating.
Our prayers to everyone still struggling in Houston.
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