Skip to main content

User account menu

  • Log in
Shopping cart 0
Cart

Search

Search
Home The Enterprise-Tocsin
  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
    • Submit News
  • Most Read
    • Most Read This Week
    • Most Read This Month
    • Most Read This Year
    • Most Read All Time
  • Most Recent
  • More News
    • Crime
    • Documents
    • Videos
    • Features
    • Politics
    • Public Notices
  • Sports
  • E-Editions
    • Archives
    • Newspaper E-Edition
    • Magazine
    • Special Sections
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Comments
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Advertising
    • Ad Rates
    • Ad Staff
  • Calendar
  • Comics/Games
    • Cartoons
    • Crossword
    • Sudoku
  • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Social
    • Anniversaries/Birthdays
    • Engagements/Weddings
    • Schools
    • Submit an Anniversary
    • Submit a Birth
    • Submit an Engagement
    • Submit School News
    • Submit a Wedding
  • Subscribe
  • State
    • Most Read - Statewide

Domain menu for The Enterprise-Tocsin (main)

  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
    • Submit News
  • Most Read
  • Most Recent
  • More News
    • Crime
    • Documents
    • Videos
    • Features
    • Politics
    • Public Notices
  • Sports
  • E-Editions
    • Archives
    • Newspaper E-Edition
    • Magazine
    • Special Sections
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Comments
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Advertising
    • Ad Rates
    • Ad Staff
  • Calendar
  • Comics/Games
  • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Social
    • Anniversaries/Birthdays
    • Engagements/Weddings
    • Schools
    • Submit an Anniversary
    • Submit a Birth
    • Submit an Engagement
    • Submit School News
    • Submit a Wedding
  • Subscribe
  • State

Cleveland crew saves Sunflower County flood victim

READ MORE > 1,291 Reads
On Thu, 03/14/2019 - 10:17 AM

Most people would hesitate to stop on the side of the road in the wee hours of the morning to help a stranger. Especially if they’re outside Parchman, Mississippi.  Our linemen aren’t most people.

Kevin Rogers, senior lineman, Justin Griffin and Nathan Enriquez, both lineman first class, were called out around 4 a.m. on Feb. 23 to restore an outage near Vance. It had been raining relentlessly in the Mississippi Delta, causing high water in the area. They’d already passed a vehicle that had careened off the road. Then north of Parchman on Highway 49 W they had to slow down because rain water was covering the highway. That’s when some movement in the ditch caught Griffin’s eye and he turned a spotlight toward the area for a better look.

When the Cleveland-based crew saw a man standing in chest-high water, they weren’t surprised. They knew he was in trouble, but the situation was far worse than they anticipated.

The stranded man explained his vehicle had hydroplaned off the road. He escaped through the window when it began to submerge, but he couldn’t swim, so he stood on the vehicle’s roof.  For 45 minutes he’d been trying to wave down passersby. His legs were beginning to numb from the coolness of the water, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand.

After a quick discussion, Rogers said the linemen rushed to put on their flashers and boots.

“Our ladder wasn’t long enough to reach him,” Rogers said. “We determined our only option to bring him to safety was to swing the bucket of the truck out and toss him a jib line. Justin got the bucket in place while Nathan and I walked as close to him as we could and kept communicating with him. We wanted to help him feel more secure so he wouldn’t panic.”

They gave the man instructions on how to wrap the line under his arms for support and roll on his back, explaining that Griffin would back the truck out and boom the bucket up at the same time to pull him on top of the water to dry ground.

“Instead of trying to lift him up, we used the water to our advantage,” Rogers said. “He slid across the water like a catfish.”

In seconds they had the man to safety, though he could barely stand, was cold, lethargic and potentially hypothermic.

Rogers said they were then faced with another decision – what to do next. Even though the company only allows employees in its vehicles, the crew determined the man was in no condition to sit outside and wait for emergency services to arrive.

“He had no transportation or way to communicate with anyone. We couldn’t leave him stranded in a rural area in the middle of the night.  The right and humane thing to do was to make sure he got home safely, too. So, we put him in the truck, turned up the heat to get him warm and drove him to his home a few miles away.”

The crew’s safety-mindedness enabled them to act quickly and likely saved the man’s life.

“We could see he was out of strength and we couldn’t waste time,” Rogers said. “We had to trust our training and go with it. Thinking ahead, knowing how to work our equipment and staying cool helped us get a positive outcome.”

Rogers, Griffin and Enriquez are still talking about and learning from the incident.

“We wondered what would have happened if we hadn’t seen him. The results would have been different. Thankfully, seeing that first car in the ditch made us hyper aware. If you come up on a scene like this one, be cautious. Someone’s life could be in danger. It’s been a good reminder that we must always stay alert.”

 

This story was provided by Entergy Mississippi

 

‹ PreviousNext ›

Social

Music From The Ground Up Video Series Set To Launch

Music From The Ground Up, a locally produced music video series featuring local Delta musicians… READ MORE

Wilson, Moorman to wed March 6
Hazel Black Pierce
Birth Announcement: Lyla Marie Davidson welcomed
Suddoth, Hargett to wed
Giachelli, Grimes to wed Saturday

Most Recent

Treasurer McRae Awards $6,000 in Scholarships

Below is a press release from the State Treasury of Mississippi:

Former director of Newton veterans cemetery indicted
Former direct of Newton veterans cemetery indicted
GUNN: Ole Miss Economists Give Positive Review of House Tax Reform Plan
Palazzo, Bustos, Kinzinger, Ryan Lead Bipartisan Call for Meal Reimbursement for National Guard Deployed in D.C.
Warming Trend

Most Read News Article

  • Week
  • Month
  • Year
  • All Time

GOVERNOR TATE REEVES RELEASES NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER

Today, Governor Tate Reeves signed Executive Order 1549. This order will go into effect at 5:00 PM… READ MORE

Why teachers in Mississippi work second jobs to get by
Profile 2021: The keys to success: Willie Betts reflects on decades of service as a locksmith in Indianola
MEC's Virtual Legislative Scrambler - Speaker Philip Gunn
Mississippi Covid-19 Update : March 04, 2021
Anthony, Rosebud Update on Legislative Session

‘Food that’s going to stick to your ribs’: The significance of soul food in Yalobusha County

Marie Gaston still remembers all the food her parents cooked when she was growing up. The aromas of… READ MORE

IFMG To Close Clinics Monday Due To Inclement Weather
Demario Davis’ second chance
The multifaceted role of Black churches in Yalobusha County
IA's Next Division I Athlete: Quincee Clark signs scholarship with No. 2 Oklahoma State’s equestrian program
Waste Management resumes normal collection schedule in central Mississippi

Loved ones remember young woman shot and killed last Friday

On Friday, April 10, Alberta Garner’s life was cut short just before dawn after shots rang out on… READ MORE

B.B. King Museum among many awarded MDNHA grants
USDA approves Mississippi to receive Pandemic-EBT benefits
Friday morning shooting in Moorhead may have been retaliation for 2019 murder
Three arrested, one sought in Friday night shooting death
B.B. King Museum closes through end of March

FUMC praise band releases second studio album

These days, it’s hard to find a large church that does not have a contemporary praise band.Many,… READ MORE

MDCC alumni event, golf tournament this month
MDCC to open bids for Stauffer-Wood renovation
Rasberry men to present black history program
Candidates meet in public forum
Church encourages athletes to ‘pursue God’

Sign Up for Notifications of Local Breaking News

Start E-mail NotificationsStop E-mail NotificationsStart Mobile NotificationsStop Mobile Notifications

E-Edition Button

Obituaries

Joe Hale Fray

Joe Hale Fray, 88, of Gulf Shores, Ala. and formerly of Tunica, passed away at home very peacefully… READ MORE

Opinion

Step Outside: Spring is right around the corner

The past couple of weeks has not seemed like the pre spring weather that we had hoped. Following… READ MORE

Time to reboot the garden for spring
Mother Nature, Baseball and Farming
Dunagin: New angle to familiar story
Attach some strings to loan forgiveness
Louisiana and Dominion

Weddings and Engagement

Wilson, Moorman to wed March 6

Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Mitchell Wilson of Linn announce the wedding of their daughter, Ms. Erin Austin… READ MORE

Lee, McGill to wed in Inverness Jan. 30
Suddoth, Hargett to wed
Giachelli, Grimes to wed Saturday
A Facetime proposal
Grubb, Goff to wed October 24

Sports

It just means more in New Site, where hoops is a way of life

Below is a sports column by Rick Cleveland:

COMPANY COMMUNITY ADVERTISE E-EDITIONS MORE NEWS
Contact Community Calendar Subscribe Magazine E-Edition Cartoons
FAQ/Help Obituaries Ad Rates Newspaper Archive Columns
Our History Engagements/Weddings Ad Staff Newspaper E-Edition Editorials
Our Staff Most Read My Account Special Section Features
Statewide Most Recent Rack Locations    

Click on the city name to visit its website.

ACKERMAN  •  CARROLLTON  •  CHARLESTON  •  CLARKSDALE  •  COLUMBIA  •  DUMAS(Ark.)  •  EUPORA  •  FOREST  • 

FRANKLINTON(La.)  • GREENVILLE  •  GREENWOOD  •  GRENADA  •  HATTIESBURG  •  JACKSON  •  KOSCIUSKO  •  INDIANOLA  • 

LOUISVILLE  • MAGEE  • MENDENHALL  •  McCOMB  •  NEWTON  •  PETAL  •  QUITMAN  •  SENATOBIA  •  TALLULAH(La.)  •  WINONA  •  YAZOO CITY


Copyright 2020 - The Enterprise-Tocsin | Privacy Statement | Help | Terms of Service

The Enterprise-Tocsin - 114 Main St.- Indianola, MS 38751 - (662)-887-2222

Emmerich Newspapers proud to serve your local communities.

Thank you for visiting our website.