A man who was heard calling for help from a tree in rising floodwaters along Salado Creek on San Antonio’s East Side was found dead after crews reached him, as first responders across the region faced a surge of high-water emergencies following days of heavy rain.
San Antonio police said officers could see the man about 30 yards away, stuck in trees and holding on to a tree limb. Crews tried throwing ropes to reach him but got no response, and firefighters ultimately went into the water.
“You never want to see it. It’s a heartbreaking situation, but our crews did anything and everything they could to get to the individual as quickly as possible,” said Joe Arrington with the San Antonio Fire Department.
RELATED: Man was ‘screaming for help’ in a tree before drowning in Salado Creek, police said
The call came in just before 7 this morning, with officials saying the man had been yelling for help while trapped above rising water. Police said the yelling stopped minutes later while they waited for the San Antonio Fire Department to assist with the water rescue.
“Crews then made entry into the water and recovered the individual who was unfortunately deceased at the time. So once they got him to the shore, we were unfortunately able to pronounce him deceased on scene,” Arrington said.
Arrington said firefighters pulled the man from the water within the hour and believes the man was homeless. He also said signs have recently been placed to warn people who may be living in the woods about areas prone to flooding.
“They’ve placed signs recently alerting individuals that may be living in the woods to areas that are prone to flooding. They’ve made a lot of efforts to go above and beyond, to alert these individuals. But unfortunately, that’s what we see a lot of times,” Arrington said.
The death came as crews across San Antonio responded to a surge in high-water calls. Arrington said that from 11 a.m. yesterday until this morning, the fire department responded to 24 water rescue calls, including high-water investigations and rescues.
“So far from 11 a.m. yesterday until this morning, we responded to 24 water rescue calls, whether those are high water investigations or water rescues. The vast majority of them have been removing people from vehicles that were stuck in high water, whether they went around barricades or just drove into standing water,” Arrington said.
In a separate incident in Cibolo, firefighters spent about 45 minutes getting three students out of a rain-swollen town creek near FM 1103 and Buffalo Crossing Monday night. Officials said all three had entered the water on their own and were treated and released on scene without injury.
Arrington urged people to use caution when driving, avoid flooded areas and not go around barricades, warning that both fast-moving and standing water can become dangerous quickly.