Reverend risks life to search for flood victims

HOUSTON – During the height of Harvey's heaviest rainfall, Highway 288 and Holly Hall Street filled up fast turning the roadway into a lake and submerging vehicles.

During a break in the rain, plenty of people came out to take a look at the rising waters, and but one local preacher took action jumping into the flooded highway to see if anyone was stuck inside.

"It was just really amazing to be able to capture someone caring for someone else especially at the time that we live in right now things are so divisive," said Brian Roberson, who photographed the preacher.

Roberson shared his pictures with Channel 2 News staff who then tweeted about the images. That one tweet was shared more than 29,000 times.

Social media users praised the unidentified preacher for his brave act.

After days of searching, Channel 2 News was finally able to locate the Rev. Audrey "Dale" Carter.

"God always has a purpose and a mission for you. I didn't know I was going over there on a mission. I was just going over there for my own sake to look," Carter said.

He said he got in the water after a woman said there was someone in one of the submerged vehicles. But other bystanders told him no one was inside. Carter decided to find out for himself.

"Everybody's standing there looking and nobody's doing anything. So, I said, 'What if it was somebody in there and they needed help and we didn't respond then that would be on my conscience,'" he said.

He called his wife to let her know what he was about to do and entered the dangerous floodwaters.

"I put my head up to the glass, but I couldn't see because it was tinted glass and you couldn't see through the tinted glass," Carter said.

He didn't find anyone inside, and hopes whoever was in the vehicle got out safely.

"I just did what I thought I needed to do."

Check the forecast any time by visiting the weather page of Click2Houston.com or by downloading Frank's forecast app on Apple or Android devices.

Download the Click2Houston news app in your app store to stay up-to-date with the latest news while you're on the go.

Sign up for KPRC 2 newsletters to get breaking news, sports, entertainment, contests and more delivered straight to your email inbox.