Would you sacrifice yourselves to save family? It's a question that people throw up as a hypothetical, but when it came down to it, a father and son died as heroes. They put their own safety and lives on the line to save their daughter and sister from rising floodwaters in Oklahoma. Unfortunately and sadly, they paid the ultimate price for their brave actions.
Floodwaters swept both father and son away. Sadly, search and rescue later found and recovered the bodies of Lloyd and William Eubanks after a multi-agency search, according to Wagoner County Emergency Management. So what happened and are there any lessons that can be learned? 27-year-old William's sister fell into the floodwaters after slipping in a low-water slab. She was trying to clear debris.
William immediately hopped into the floodwaters to try to save her. Likewise, his 54-year-old father also followed as well. Unfortunately, the two men ended up losing their footing. They both went under the water and got swept away. But William was able to save his sister before he sadly passed away. He guided her to a nearby tree where she was able to get out of the waters.
Floodwaters Drown Two
She immediately called emergency services to come help her father and brother. They deployed swift-water teams and drones to look for the two missing men in the floodwaters. Sadly after a day of searching, they found the bodies of the two men the next morning. Authorities are warning others to stay safe and heed cautions when it comes to flood warnings.
A large amount of rain caused waters to quickly rise.
"We had amassed a lot of resources out here last night and today to perform this search and recovery," Jeff Smith, director of Muskogee County Emergency Management, said according to CBS affiliate KOTV. "We do not enjoy this. We do not enjoy responding to things like this."
He added, "This is not a playing matter. This is not a joke. Whenever you go into these high waters, you not only risk your life, but you risk the lives of first responders."
