Despite the torrential downpour and flash flooding that inundated downtown Atlanta on Sept. 14, the actions of two heroic people rescued a trapped driver. “Atlanta Police Officer Rayando Bryan and Atlanta Fire Rescue Department Captain Terrance Simon are being hailed as courageous saviors for their swift and selfless actions.”
As reported, Officer Bryan was on duty when he came across the alarming scene of Peachtree Street, just near Atlanta’s Public Safety Headquarters, completely submerged under rising floodwaters. There, he noticed a partially-submerged vehicle with Captain Simon valiantly attempting to rescue the trapped driver.
The situation has been described as perilous. The floodwaters had reached such an extremely dangerous level that the vehicle was lifted from the ground to a degree that its “doors were immovable.” Reporting on the epic action of Officer Bryan, “without hesitation he waded into the treacherous waters to assist Captain Simon.” Bryan used his baton to shatter the driver-side window to create an escape route from the car. Working together, Bryan and Simon safely extricated the driver.
As background information regarding the severity of the storm, more than 2 inches of rain fell within an hour, which “overwhelmed downtown Atlanta, the Atlanta University Center, and its surrounding areas.” The city “experienced an astonishing three hours’ worth of rain in mere minutes, leading to catastrophic flash flooding conditions.”
The water level of the flooding in parts of Atlanta has been described as surging to 5 feet, “inundating streets and low-lying areas due to a nearly stationary thunderstorm.” Witnesses described that several vehicles parked in a lot near Northside Drive SW and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW “were washed away, ending up near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.” See slide show of photos of the rescue from police bodycam here.
