Here is a story for you...that happened last night
Last night around 10:30 right at shift change, two officers from the dept that I work with were in the office discussing life. One had just come on shift and the other was about to go home. There wasnt much going on other than a horrendous thunderstorm,complete with high winds that broke a few trees with a few power outages due to branches falling on power lines.
It was raining hard enough that visibility was very limited,it was the kind of night that most sensible people stayed out of, about the only people on the roads were going to and from work.
While the Officers were in the office, a call for a stranded motorist came in and it was urgent. Apparently, a young man on his way home from work came home the usual way and came into a curve where the road was below water. Since it had rained over two inches in a short time, the ditches and creeks were filling up very quickly. He hydroplaned, lost control of his small truck and came to a stop right in the middle of a small bridge crossing a small creek that is normally dry except when it rains. That small creek had become a raging torrent and the water flow slammed the small truck against the bridge. The young man, realizing that he was in serious trouble when he tried to open the door and couldn't because of the water pressure, grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911. He was stuck in his truck, which was barely on the bridge and the water was about to push him off of it into the raging creek.
The two responding officers could not reach the vehicle due to the flooded road, and the water was rapidly rising. They both realized that it was a true emergency situation, and with the fast water and in the complete dark with the rain coming down so hard that they could barely even see, one of them called the Fire Dept. in hope that the large truck would be able to at least get close enough that they could hook a cable to the truck or if nothing else, rescue the driver who was becoming very anxious.
All attempts failed. The water was moving too fast and the situation became perilous enough that the Swift Water Rescue Team was called in. This county has a team that rescues stranded canoers due to the several swift water rivers that run through the Ozark Forest that are very popular and with the abundance of lakes around here they actually see a lot of action. They also do body recoverys, usually doing several a year for various reasons.
After much work, rising waters and some pure luck, 3 hours later the young man was rescued by a diver that managed to loop a cable around a tree that was upriver and basically let the water take him to the driver. The cable was attached to a winch on one of the Fire Trucks and all was well. This afternoon, the water had receded enough to be able to recover the truck and it was taken to the young mans house.
But that is not all there is to the story. You see, unknown to most of the people that were there until the young man was actually recovered due to the dark and the rain and even though the young man called 911 and stated his name, that information was never revealed to anyone that used the radio that night.
What was really amazing to all was that when he made it far enough that he could walk out of the water to a waiting patrol car where one of the Deputys was waiting with a blanket to drape upon him as he was cold and wet, the Deputy placed the blanket around him and shined his flashlight so that he could see him and only then did he realize that it was his own son that he was attempting to save.
It was a touching moment to all that witnessed it. The Officer, cold,wet and and so tired that he could barely walk was somewhat relieved that the rain blended in with the tears that came streaming down.
This story was just told to me by one of the guys that was there and I must admit, I was touched. The Lord works is mysterious ways some times.
Just another chapter in the life of a small town.
