ROBINSON, Texas (KXXV) — Three Robinson police officers received Police Commendation Medals for their actions during a June 14 storm that flooded roads, stranded drivers and threatened residents of a nearby RV park.
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Corporal Zachary Foster, Sergeant Jason Atkins and Officer Tanner Sheldon were recognized at Robinson City Hall for their response to heavy rains that swept through the community.
Foster was called in to help during the storm, while Sheldon was already covering a shift.
"This is the first time we've got to talk about it, really in depth together about what happened that night," Foster said.
Foster responded to Greg Drive, where drivers were stranded in floodwaters. Atkins and Sheldon worked on opposite sides of the interstate.
"All of this right here was flooded pretty good so I was working this scene, and then just about 1,000 feet, maybe a few hundred meters that way is where Corporal Foster was helping people on Greg Drive," Sheldon said.
Foster described the scene he encountered on arrival.
"All of the traffic northbound and southbound was completely shut off and the water was just rushing over the median. The first thing I saw is there's just three vehicles parked in the middle of the water on the access road and so I just got out of my car and started running towards them to figure out if they were in there, how many people, and how we could get them out. Fortunately, at that point the water was only up to my waist and so you were able to walk on the road and I was able to help the 2 gentlemen in the first vehicle out, and then as I went to the second car, there was definitely a midpoint where it was rushing a lot faster and it started raising to my chest," Foster said.
Foster also described the threat to residents at a nearby RV park.
"So we had people stuck on the bridge, and the RV park to our right, was, those RVs you see in the distance back there were starting to float, starting to pick up. We have some elderly who live in these RV's. Some of them are on oxygen tanks," Foster said.
While Foster and Sheldon were working nearby, they had no way to communicate. Floodwaters had disabled their equipment.
"Due to the weather, us both being underwater for periods of time, up to our chest and waists, our radios stopped working," Foster said.
Sheldon said the event was a test of the team's ability to work together.
"I'll tell you what that was a good test to see how we work together," Sheldon said.
Foster nominated his fellow officers for the award and was surprised to learn he had also been nominated.
"I get a notification that Sergeant Atkins had written me up for an award. Humbling because I felt like, and I still feel this way, I feel like Officer Sheldon and Sergeant Atkins had the rougher bit," Foster said.
Foster also spoke to what made his colleagues' efforts stand out.
"To see him risking as much as he did for a job he's only been at for a year I thought that was substantial and to see Sergeant Atkins, without a corporal, he was just a Sergeant that night, having to deal with all the coordination, calling in the overtime, doing all this extra work for a guy who, he could just retire if he wanted to," Foster said.
Foster said the recognition brought the team together in a new way.
"It became like a full circle moment where we've all worked together separately, but now we're all together as one team, as one fight," Foster said.
Atkins was on vacation so we were unable to speak with him, but Foster and Sheldon said they are grateful to have worked alongside him that night.
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