Courage in the Great Flood

Spotlight Flooded Edit 1116 Feat

Around 3 a.m. on August 13, Tara Manufacturing driver Arthur Murray left his motel room in Kentwood, La., and drove into the darkness of a torrential rainstorm. Murray had only been working for Tara for three months but had already earned a reputation as a hard and dependable worker — in fact, he was starting early because he wanted to be on time in spite of the stormy weather. When he walked to his truck, the water in the parking lot was already ankle deep.

Traveling down Interstate 55, he was soon diverted to Highway 51 due to heavy flooding. "It was really scary," he recalls. "I'd never been in a flood before and had never seen anything like it. I didn't know what was going to happen."

Murray stopped his truck as he approached an intersection that had completely disappeared under the surging waters. Ahead of him, a car was attempting to cross. As the car moved forward, it nosedived and was instantly nearly submerged. Inside, a young mother and her two small children were trapped in the rising torrent. They started to panic. Arthur and a mailman, who had also stopped his vehicle, jumped out of their trucks and splashed into the deepening water, heading for the car.

"When I heard the woman and her children screaming for help, I wasn't thinking about my own safety," he says. "I just wanted to get them out of there."

Murray says he and the mailman waded to the car where he then climbed up on the hood and kicked in the front passenger window. Murray reached inside to pull the girl out and set her on the car's roof, then did the same for her brother. He picked up both kids and carried them to safety while the mailman helped the young mother. All were reunited on higher ground.

Arthur offered to take the mother and her two children back to their home in his delivery truck. On the way, he asked the woman why she was out on the roads in those conditions. She explained that she was out searching for her husband, who had gone missing during the devastating storm. Days later, Arthur learned the woman's husband was one of the victims of this historic flood.

"I'm just thankful I was able to help," he says. "It's sad that she lost her husband and her kids lost their dad. That's why we all should be ready to help each other in dangerous situations, because you never know what can happen and when. I'd definitely risk my life to save someone because if I was in trouble, I'd hope someone would do the same for me or my family."

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