Houston storm survivor talks being rescued
Only on FOX, a Houston man who survived being swept away in yesterday’s severe storm spoke with FOX 26 about the scary incident and being rescued by a Good Samaritan. Reporter Jonathan Mejia reports on what the man had to say.
SPRING, Texas – A man is counting his blessings after surviving a severe storm that left a trail of destruction in Houston and its nearby areas on Tuesday.
Jeff Jones, who narrowly escaped with his life, recounted the harrowing experience that lasted around 45 seconds. As heavy rain and powerful winds ravaged the city, causing downed trees, flooded streets, and stranded vehicles, Jones faced the storm’s wrath head-on.
“[I started to think about] my family, my wife, I thought the truck was going to spin over … all I’m thinking is what I’m leaving behind in this world,” Jones said.
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Attempting to drive home near the Spec’s building in Spring just off Interstate 45, Jones misjudged a submerged railing while navigating through the floodwaters. “I knew I didn’t want to get out of my truck because the water would wash me away faster than the truck,” he said.
Swept to a pedestrian bridge, the roof of Jones’s truck collapsed, and his vehicle continued to drift until it stalled out in a drain ditch. “About 30 to 45 seconds my truck… I heard the roof crumbling and my truck sank down in the water, and it shot me out of the bridge,” Jones shared.
Faced with the prospect of his truck sinking, Jones dialed 9-1-1 but found himself disoriented and unable to articulate his exact location. The situation escalated to the truck lifting and sitting at a precarious 45-degree angle. “The scariest part was when it started to lift, and I had to think of exit plans,” he said.
Catching the attention of passers-by became his priority as he banged on his truck’s window. It wasn’t until a Good Samaritan saw him and intervened that Jones was rescued.
“You could see the guy hitting the windshield and the water was high. It had to been chest deep,” Renee Young said. “The truck was starting to lift. The water was actually coming into the bed of the truck. I started in the front of the truck because the water was coming in the back so much that … the front was the driest part at the time,” Robert Chance said.
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Jones is thankful to be alive, even as the storm damaged both his and his daughter’s vehicles. “I got a little scar from my hand here from the glass and some bruising here from when I was trying to get people’s attention on the window,” Jones admitted. “The rest of the scars are inside, and that’s going to take a while to heal.”
Having lived through the ordeal, Jones now emphasizes the importance of heeding safety advisories such as “turn around and don’t drown,” a phrase he once thought of as corny but now understands its importance.
Jones’s experience is a reminder of the strength of natural disasters and the need for preparedness and caution.
