An elderly man from Houston finally had the opportunity to thank the two Central Texans who saved him from Hurricane Harvey floodwater.
"It's what you're supposed to do."
David Guthrie and Kenneth Riddle felt called to take their boats down to Houston and rescue those trapped by flood waters.
"We just started yelling. I grabbed a paddle and started beating on the boat, and people start coming out," Guthrie and Riddle said.
And that is how they met Mr. Donald Liles.
"He said, 'Hey boys, can I get a ride?' and we were like, 'Well yeah, that's why we're here!" the men added.
"I heard their little motor coming around the corner and they called out, and I said, 'I'm ready,'" Donald Liles said.
Mr. Liles had been without electricity and running short on food for a couple of days when his rescuers from Central Texas showed up.
Once the cousins from Central Texas returned home from rescuing close to 30 people, they wondered if those they saved were okay. But they never expected to hear from them.
"I remembered them saying they were out of Lampasas, and I reached out to the police department so if they could find out who it was, give them accommodations ... I was very happy to see them. It gets a little emotional... excuse me," Liles added.
Mr. Liles was finally able to thank his two rescuers for saving him, and it was emotional for everyone.
"That's a voice, once you hear his voice, you'll always remember that voice," Riddle said.
Liles says he lost everything, but he is safe.
He'll stay with his daughter in the Houston suburb of Katy for now while he looks for a new place to live.
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