Unforgettable Weather

Today the air is filled with bitter cold and the ground is covered with ice. It is a pleasant change for people like me who like a little variation in life. The news is reporting that this storm could be a historical one, if it continues in its predicted course.

As I think back throughout my life, I can remember several times that the weather contributed greatly to the making of an unforgettable memory. The first time I woke up and found twelve inches of snow outside and I couldn't distinguish my car from any other heap of the freshly blown snow drifts is one. It was a very exciting day! On another occasion, I remember camping in the mountains of Colorado with my family and Jason's. The temperature was a pleasant 80 degrees when we got there, but it dropped to fifty below, so it seemed, that night and all we had was a tent and a few blankets, Brrrrrrrrrrr, cold but what a great memory. I remember it raining so hard once, we could only see the blinding reflection of our headlights from off the sheets of water that poured from the skies. On yet another occasion, it was snowing so hard it was like someone had thrown a bright white sheet over our mini-van. Having lost all sense of direction, we could see none of the road ahead and because we were on a rough and narrow mountain road in Colorado, the situation left us but one choice, cease our travels and wait out the storm.

One such recollection is a night when I was working as a patrol deputy with Bastrop County. Bastrop has mostly paved roads that are normally very navigable, but occasionally, no matter how good the roads, God reminds us of his awesome power with the unexpected. The rain had started falling and had increased in intensity over a period of several hours. What seemed at first to be just a needed drink of water for the land, quickly turned into a dangerous situation for many drivers. I know that each of you have heard the warnings of flash flooding. I can not stress to you enough just how dangerous flash flooding is. It just looks as though the water isn't quite deep enough to keep you from being able to pass through safely, but the reality of it is, water can rise so fast that a vehicle can be firmly planted on the road's surface, but before you get across the low water crossing your vehicle is floated and you have now lost all control of your travel and your safety.

Back to this particular night. When water starts rising, law enforcement begins a cycle of checking known low water crossings, and of course, responding to weather related incidents. It was about two-thirty in the morning when I was dispatched to Lower Elgin Road to check out the report of people screaming for help in a flooded area. I came up from the south end of the road while Elgin P.D. and my Partner checked the road coming from the north. The other officers arrived in the area before I did and confirmed there were several terrified voices coming from the darkness in a section of road that was now impossible to drive through due to the high water.

When I arrived, I found a task that was unnerving, to say the least. It was dark and what once was a good road was now more like a fast moving river. It would have been in context with the moment, if there had suddenly appeared a raft full of whitewater explorers, experiencing all of the excitement of controlled danger that Mother nature could muster for such an adventure. But instead of rafts, there were only large limbs and debris being fiercely swept away, and replacing the shrieks and shrills of death-defying thrill seekers, I heard the horrific cries for help coming, from what I could tell, was at least three different people.

There was about a quarter mile of road that was unobtainable by vehicle from either side of the high water. We also knew that there was a ninety degree curve that lay between us, which made the circumstance all the more difficult. I was communicating with the other side by radio. It was difficult to determine exactly where the hopeful pleas for help were coming from or which side was closest to the terrified victims. I was told by my partner, he and the Elgin officers had made the decision to wade in and search the muddy waters on foot due to the uncertainty of how much time there would be before the vehicle and its occupants were swept away to certain doom. I agreed and decided that I would assist in the search from my side of the mayhem.

I removed my gun belt and positioned my patrol car so that I could get the most benefit from the headlights. I then stepped into the chilling waters; this was a spring rain and the temperature was solidly in the fifties this night. About ten yards into the water, it was already up past my waist. The only things I took with me were a flashlight and a radio, of which I had to ensure stayed above the water level. This made balance a little more difficult, but it was still a necessary maneuver. As I took each step, I could feel the increasing pressure trying to sweep me down with the current. I quickly learned it was best to maintain contact with the ground by sliding each foot across the surface of the road to its next position. By doing this, it helped eliminate the possibility of stepping into a hole and losing all balance and control. I had made my way about a hundred yards in and was slightly into the curve, but far enough into it that a clear view of the patrol car was no longer possible. It was completely dark ahead of me and I couldn't see much behind me. Just about that time, I heard someone yell, and it wasn't far from my location.

I shined my flashlight to the right and saw a car that was almost completely obscured by high water, and I could tell that it was sitting on uneven ground because the passenger's side of the vehicle was completely submerged, but the driver's side was higher and from the window up was still above the water. I also saw three adult males sitting atop of the vehicle. They were motioning for me to come over to them, which I thought to be a little strange. I mean, why did they think I was there, did they really think that I just was out for a swim and happened across them. Well, it was bad enough that I had three adult males that I somehow had to get back to safety, but then I saw a fourth head that was hanging across the shoulder of one of the men. It was a little boy, probably about nine years old. I think his face told the story of how we were all feeling, PANICKED!

I made my way over to them, and they were all speaking to me in Spanish, I didn't have a clue as to what they were saying. But after a few brief attempts to communicate, the youngest among us revealed he was bilingual, but I was concerned he was so frightened he wouldn't do a very good job of translating. As it turned out, he was as brave as I could have expected anyone to be in that situation and was able to bridge the gap of communication. I told them exactly how I wanted them to execute each step they took and that I wanted them to line up behind me and to grab the waistline of the back of my pants and the next guy to do the same to the guy in front of him and the last guy to do the same to third guy. I told the boy to get on my shoulders, I would carry him out. He did and I asked him if he could hold my radio and try to keep it so it wouldn't get into the water. I told my fellow cops that I was about to lead them out; so, that they could make their way back to safety as well.

Once I was confident that everyone understood exactly what I expected of them, the five of us then began to make our way slowly back to my patrol car. The boy was crying the whole time in spite of my efforts to keep him calm. He just could never gain full control of his emotions. I'm not sure but I think he may have peed on me while we were making our way back, either that or all of a sudden I was just overtaken by a warm feeling. Either way, considering the deep chill I had in my bones from the cold weather, I found it to be a great relief! The water had started receding by the time we got back within full view of my patrol vehicle, making it easier to reach safety without further incident.

Wow, I was pretty exhausted by this time. When we go out of the water, I turned around and was overcome with hugs by the three men and they were laughing and very relieved. It felt good to be a cop at that particular moment.

The boy didn't do a very good job keeping my radio out of the water; in fact, it was, fortunately, the only casualty of the night. The Elgin Police Officers all received a banquet of appreciation by the City for their part in the rescue. I was reprimanded by my sergeant for the loss of the radio. Huh, it sure is weird the way people think differently about the same set of circumstances. It was worth it just for the hugs and appreciation of those three guys and a little boy.

The following day, upon returning to the stranded vehicle, it was still there unmoved. I suppose they would have survived the ordeal without our assistance. However, the next time any of you come across high water in the roadway, I wouldn't risk it!