ROCKPORT, Texas — When the rain hit Rockport-Fulton area, Brennen Nguyen hopped right into his buggy. He grabbed his best friend Justin Tunchez and asked how can we help?
“We realized any vehicle really couldn’t just get through some of the intersections," said Nguyen. "So we started getting people from their houses, relocating people, even pushing around cars with this.”
Both are volunteer firemen in Rockport.
“It’s always good to give back to your community that always helps you out," said Tunechez. "Especially being with the fire department, you learn to give back to your community because they’re the ones that fund us throughout the year. So, it’s always good to give back.”
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time they put the buggy to use like this.
“We were here during (Hurricane) Harvey," said Tunchez. "So, the flooding wasn’t as bad as it is right now, but we had a little bit of experience when it comes to natural disasters like this.”
Many of the residential areas have been hit the hardest with flooding. That’s where the two put their skills to use.
“We went to a rescue right here down the street and it was about waist deep water," said Tunchez. "And we had to bring out a lady and her dogs because their house was just completely flooded with like a foot of water. So, that was probably the hardest part. Especially going down the street because of the whirlpools and everything with the man hole covers being flipped over. That was probably the dangerous part of it.”
“We got four or five elderly people. We relocated two people. And we moved an ems truck, so that was cool," Nguyen said laughing."
“We did an EMS run for the EMS service here because they couldn’t get to the nursing home," said Tunchez. "So, we had to do a little quick transport for them.”
Despite the serious circumstances they said spirits have been high from people they’ve encountered.
“Every elderly lady we had, they absolutely loved the ride. They got in it and they felt 30 years younger. They had a blast. They said they wanted to ride with us all day,” Nguyen chuckled.
The helpers said they’ll continue to help as long as the flooding continues.
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