|  Austin
Resident Meredith Hill
Meredith Hill works in a building that's
just around the corner from the scene above. Her story is simple:
She left work in heavy rain near dark. She made a left at the
intersection and followed another car amidst poor visibility down
the rain-washed streets. Meredith drove about one block in her
SUV and (in seconds) into a depth of approximately four feet of
water before she realized how deep it was. In the pounding rain,
she couldn't even see the water until it was flowing over the
hood of her car and filling the interior.
Meredith Hill is a rational, cautious individual
whose predicament fits many victims' profiles: "wrong place
at the wrong time." Her story is a reminder of how easily
this can happen in the chaotic circumstances and poor visibility
of a storm.
Her car is one of the ones in the picture.
It was a total loss. Meredith was able to escape via her sunroof
and was helped to safety by firefighters. Others on Lamar had
a more harrowing ride in the flood waters. Hear Meredith's story
and the story of some high-risk rescues performed by firefighters
just a few feet away by clicking on the links below.
Firefighter and Swiftwater Rescue
Specialist Lt. Russell Keller
Flash floods come and go quickly. The following
morning the newpapers share tales of tragedy and the occasional
act of heroism brought to their attention. In an intense storm
like November 15th however, dozens of rescue personnel give their
all to save dozens of lifes across hundreds of square miles. All
this is done amidst the chaos of a natural disaster, their efforts
complicated by darkness, the pounding of rain and the tug of conflicting
priorities. At our request (more-so our insistence) one rescuer,
Lt. Keller of the Austin Fire Department, told of some situations
that arose just a few feet away from Lamar St. where Shoal Creek
was thundering its way toward the Colorado River.
An urban creek like this one, with a maze
of bridges, fallen trees, fences, trash and the occasional automobile
can be the most dangerous piece of water one might ever encounter
- a fact quite under-appreciated by those who test their luck
in the rain-filled streets.
One other point to make here, despite saving
lives and seriously risking their own, most victims never step
forth to later thank their rescuers. In fact, in the heat of the
battle to save lives, names or ID of any kind is rarely exchanged.
There are always more calls to respond to, more work to be done.
Lt. Keller has no idea of the identity of the people he and his
crew rescued that night, nor do they know of him. These rescuers
are just the hands of safety. |
