Responding to the call for help, members of the Lafayette Police Department, Macon County Sheriff's Office and Macon County Rescue Squad found the rising waters of White Oak Creek swirling around the front door of the Galen Road residence. Rescue workers said it was not a simple matter to rescue the woman and her son. They could not tell, for example, how deep the water was or how fast it was moving. Nor could they tell what was underneath it. A child's toy, a ditch, gardens, lawn ornaments - anything might be under the water, as well as in the rushing waters. And, since Jackson, who suffered from diabetes, had informed the MCSO dispatcher that she had an injury to her foot and could not get it wet, rescue workers had another problem. They solved the first problem the best way they knew how. They waded in, carefully. They solved the second problem by wrapping Jackson's foot and leg in a plastic bag and carrying her to higher ground. Jackson's son, who also was trapped in the residence, was able to walk out on his own with the rescuers at his side.
In Red Boiling Springs, residents of the Valley View Apartments were surprised to find themselves trapped by rising waters. They were even more surprised to find the Channel 5 and Fox TV news crews at their doorsteps, in town to film the Red Boiling Springs Fire and Rescue Squad saving apartment residents from rising waters.
Most of the main creeks in RBS broke their banks at around 11 a.m. Thursday morning. Old Lake Road, Maxie Bluff Road and others in and near the town were closed due to flooding. My own residence on Maxie Bluff Road was deluged by water from Salt Lick Creek. My mother, Patricia Bird, who also lives on the property, and I watched the water rise for about an hour and then headed to higher ground. Our neighbor, Velma Painter, risked the rising water to walk down and check the rushing water under the bridge for blockage. Two years ago in March, big trees got lodged in that area, causing a major flood of our property. The RBS Fire and Rescue Squad had to carry mom and my sister Laurie through waist-high water, across the Maxie Bluff bridge to safety. I lost my two locally built and treasured Adierondack chairs in the flood, but gained so much more. More fruit and vegetables from the RBS fruit stand, more pieces of lawn furniture, countless bottles of beer and soda and styrofoam, someone's living room sofa, chairs and many auto and tractor parts. Gosh. When God closes one window, he surely does open another.
The tennis courts on 151 , the parking lot of the Palace and the RBS Fruit Stand and Nursery across the street were flooded. Thankfully, none of the Palace residents were endangered, though many found the fast rising water alarming. Paulette Tippin, RBS Deputy City Clerk says, "It (water) got into several areas and made a big mess. She credits watersheds with lessening the danger as well as damage along the creek banks.
MCRS Unit Director, Don Stevens, comments, "Don't drive into standing water. You can't tell depth or how fast the water is moving and easily could get stuck, or even drowned. You are much better off finding a way around the water than of going through it. It doesn't take a lot when the water is moving." He also says, "If you see water coming up close to your house, get out as soon as possible. Don't wait until the exit ways are blocked."
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