Deuce in flood

[Stretch44875]

After driving 500 miles to look at the M108, getting to bed at midnight, having to chase leaks in the roof at 3 in the morning, I get a call at 6 am that Shelby is flooding(my hometown, about 10 miles away).

Seems after 2 days of constant rain, the area got hit with 5-9 inches of rain in 6 hours. Shelby has a creek right through the middle of town that has flooded some in the past. This time was the worst flood ever. Family's been thru many little/large floods, but this one was at least a foot to 2 higher. My aunt's house sits next to an old creek bed, when the river rises, it backs up and turns her walkout basement into a pond.

So get the truck out, install the hardtop and axleshafts for 6 wheel drive, grab some pumps, and off to town. Right away I am fording 36 inches of water. The town is cut in half, schools, fire station, water plant, 200 houses, football field, all the roads across town are under water.

I help out at the aunts for a while and head into downtown. Take a back road to main street and the water's 45 inches deep. Get to Main, and O MY GOD, 200 people are staring at one deuce. Cops, fireman, TV cameras are all looking at me, I'm thinking whoops. Get to dry ground, cop asks me who I'm with. I say nobody, just seeing if I can help out. He says "stay out of the water or you'll be arrested". Okay, fine, see ya later!

Got back across town, and on the way back in hit water that was touching the air intake.
Figured that's enough and on to home. Gave a couple rides, and lots of people where taking pictures.

So now I have to do a major PM on the truck to get ready for Fridays trip, GRRR.....
But was worth it, truck goes through some serious water.

Dennis

 

[BigJay]

ARRESTED?? How about "Thanks for showing up with a vehicle capable of dealing with the situation at hand. Here's a deputy, go check the flooded area for stranded people."

What's the country coming to?

 

[clinto]

Good on you, Stretch, for trying to help out.

The Deputy? No comment (ditto to BigJay's comment)

 

[Recovry4x4]

Since I'm in law enforcement I have a comment! "Jackass!". Dennis, what kind of fording preps are done on the truck? One thing I need to do and suggest most folks do is run the hose from the air compressor to the air cleaner box. That seems to be the low spot on the truck.

 

[maddawg308]

Dennis, did you happen to catch the name of the deputy? I propose that we each write the local PD and see if we can point out that you were trying to do a favor during a local weather crisis, and were threatened with arrest if you tried to help out. A$$-whole PUBLIC SERVANTS like that should be pointed out and make to apologize for the way they act to the citizens they represent.

 

[Stretch44875]

Fording prep? Whats that? That's way a major PM is getting done.

 

[sailor2000]

Did he say what the charge was going to be if he arrested you? Fording without a permit??

 

[motorolanut]

WoW Cool!!! Clean that radiator!!!LMAO

 

[emmado22]

Perhaps the charge should be Fording without a Deep Water Fording Kit..

 

[Westech]

Well here is Wisconsin we are having a problem with flooding and roads washing out too. I dont have anything thats road ready other wise I would be out there helping no matter what. There have been many people stranded and were out in the middle on jack joe smith Wisconsin.
I can see the point where the cop does not want you to go in to the water, if you get in to trouble there is one more person to get out. All in all he "cant" tell you to go in to the water but he cant tell you not to eather unless there is a state of emergency. but if you get in to trouble you can be made to pay all the cost of getting you out. That seams to be the way they do it around here now. If you put your self in to danger and need help you pay for it. thats just my 1.5 cents

 

[cranetruck]

Re: RE: Deuce in flood

..... One thing I need to do and suggest most folks do is run the hose from the air compressor to the air cleaner box. That seems to be the low spot on the truck.

The crankcase breather must be above water also and don't forget the bellhousing plug.
I have had my deuce compressor plumbed to the air filter canister for years without ill effects. The xm757 8x8 came that way from factory....it's nothing new.

 

[jwaller]

this is the best pic of all. I love it. Thanks for trying to help.

 

[VisualdreamZ]

Good god! As I kid, my dad and I used to love driving around in the winter, pulling people out of ditches. Now I'm sure some of you will say "Connecticut?? What winters?!" That's why people were always in ditches

But that crap from the deputy would be like him tellin' Dad n I "Stay out of the snow, or you'll be arrested. Put the snowball DOWN, and BACK AWAY with your hands in the air!"

FFS!

Good on you, Dennis, for not letting the BS of liability stop you from helpin' folk out. I pray you never get sued by someone you do help. As others said - what IS this world coming to?!

V--Z

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

Awesome pictures and ditto on the deputy. Kind of like in the movie Die hard when the cop is telling the blake dude to get his hands up when he is trying to answer the phone in the subway and ends up being saved by the guy he is trying to arrest.

We did the same kind of work in Wheeling WV back in the 1996 flood people looked at the dueces and HMMWV's driving through 36 inches and more of water with awe. My HMMWV was even on the TV news being shown driving up out of the flood waters going up the Wheeling Civic Arena steps to get folks out of there.

Thank you for trying to help our fellow man and I am sure your relatives apprciated you coming to help.

As far as what is the country coming to, we need to get back to the basic Constitutional rights and trash the liberal bias in our communites. I am not advocating Right Wing tactics just a simpler life where doing good is something looked up to.

 

[Stan]

That should knock most of the dirt from Haspin off.

 

[jeli]

You made the NBC nightly news man!!! There was a quick glimps of the front of your truck. I only noticed because of the big tan block on the left side of your bumper and the licence plate on the right. Don't worry. The shot was too far away to recognize your plate number. Your cop friend can't get ya.

 

[DDoyle]

Interesting situation - a few years ago I was sitting at home, and on the evening news came the word that there was flooding just don't the road from the house - and folks were being hauled out with boats.

I fired up a M35A2 and strolled on down (about a 10 minute ride from the house) - Sheriff and FD were glad to see me.

In your case, unless someone had erected a "road closed" sign - you likely did nothing wrong. Kenny likely knows better than any of the rest of us, but I was under the impression deputys couldn't create ordinances on the fly. What is next - throw away that hamburger or I'll arrest you?

(of course, I'm the guy that was pulled over a few years ago for not having an inside rearview mirror on my Chevy pickup. After some discussion - a Kenworth with sleeper went by and I said "you need to pull him over for the same violation - I'll wait on you" - more discussion - finally, "I've get better things to do with my time than wait on you - write the citation." After considerable radio discussion, he decided that perhaps no internal review mirror was not an offense - or he was told as much.)

Most of the LEO are great guys - and I couldn't begin to do the job any of them do - but some seem to check their common sense somewhere along the way. And they no doubt make the job tougher for the rest.

DD

 

[Recovry4x4]

Well said David. The fool back at the scene with Dennis could probably articulated an arrest for disobeying a lawful command of a police officer but the lawful command would later be challenged. That's FL law though! I'd welcome some assitance in a situation like that.

 

[Stretch44875]

Well, already got the front axle apart and almost together. On to the rears, transmission, transfer, and master cylinder.

Yea Stan, truck is much cleaner!

I figure if I was smart, I would have got into town earlier, and instead of popping up in the middle of things, found someone in charge. They are all about the county commissioner, mayors, calling the state, sheriffs dive team, coast guard, blah, blah. No room for a simple guy with a truck.

Here's a pic the local newspaper posted.

Dennis

 

[gimpyrobb]

Haha! Looks like the creature from the black lagoon!