During a Dangerous Flood, a Homeless Man Becomes Unexpected Hero, Challenging Harmful Stereotypes in the Process
Screams echoed out during a frigid flood in Birmingham, and from the car where he resided, an unexpected hero emerged.
A January flood in Birmingham created deleterious conditions at the intersection where Peterbrook Road meets Aqueduct. This surely spelled danger for 40-year-old Andrew Reynolds, who had been enduring vehicular homelessness for six months, and could barely get a wink of sleep under temperate skies, let alone during a tumultuous storm.
Knee-high water overflowed around the viaduct, and as night fell, the road became quickly covered with debris. Reynolds, a homeless father of two suffering from mental health conditions, would have to hunker down in his automobile while rapidly rising torrents surged.
Studies show that unsheltered homeless people exhibit an elevated risk of death and injuries during storms, including, but not limited to, floods. For this reason, Reynolds kept a keen eye on his surroundings. In an interview with Birmingham Live, he gave a birds-eye view of what the storm looked like to him, from the driver’s seat of the vehicle he calls home.
“The little tunnels are notorious for getting blocked up, so I thought I’d go down and have a look and the whole of the road was flooded,” he explained.
While On the Flooded Road, Reynolds Put Other’s Lives Ahead of His Own Survival
The gravity of the situation was apparent to Reynolds at first glance, and he left his engine and dashcam running while wading through the deluge. Debris knicked his leg, causing a minor injury that could pose a serious health threat because of his unstable living conditions. Still, he pressed on, having noticed a jammed-up driver in a 4×4 who couldn’t get out of the car.
According to reports, bystanders gathered along the walkways, and there was a bit of a commotion. The trapped driver was yelling out. Reynolds dialed 999 to alert them of the 4×4 driver who was trapped in their car.
That’s when Reynolds realized that the driver, in danger himself, was yelling to alert him of someone else’s struggle.
“There’s an old man drowning!” The driver exclaimed.
Andrew Reynolds immediately jumped into action. He tossed his jacket into his car and dove into the rushing waters. An unnamed youth joined him, and together they spotted a senior citizen headfirst underwater, drowning. Reynolds recalled how the man’s knees bobbed up and down as he and the other young man lifted him from the spate.
This Selfless Act Defies Stereotypes and Puts Things Into Perspective
Emergency workers arrived on the scene and were visibly shocked that such a charitable act had been carried out by a man who was homeless. Reynolds claims the service workers were “gobsmacked” to hear that the hero was a homeless man living in a nearby vehicle, but the footage was captured by his dashcam.
Not only did Reynolds and his unnamed associate rescue the elderly man from drowning, but the driver in the 4×4, whom Reynolds initially identified, had made it to safety as well, thanks in large part to this homeless man’s swift thinking and heroic deeds.
Stereotypes paint an ill-fitting portrait of homeless people as criminals, leeches, and loafers who spend their time seeking handouts from the working class. Formerly homeless youth turned MSW and trauma responder Richard Rosario says that description couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Homeless people are some of the most self-sacrificing people on the planet,” Rosario stated, adding that their resilience stems from living through tough times.
He knows from experience that unsheltered individuals have a unique window into the world because living on the streets in survival mode and being forced to make snap decisions constantly can sharpen the senses while instilling hope and empathy. Additionally, a person who has been pushed to their limits is more aware of their surroundings and has a better understanding of their personal strengths and shortcomings. For this reason, they are able to work successfully under pressure, and they often do.
“Homelessness looks like stress,” said Rosario. “It looks like hardship. But it can also be empowering and enriching. Homeless people learn skillsets that cannot be acquired through schooling or educational institutions. If given the opportunity, as I have been, they can use those skills to save lives. Systems are broken, not people.”
From Desperate Waters Emerges A Brilliant Reminder of Who Homeless People Truly Are
Andrew Reynolds’ rescue story shows how homeless people, who are often portrayed as perpetrators or sometimes as helpless victims, are, in reality, capable human beings just like everybody else.
Reynolds has hit a bump in the road, but he didn’t let personal hardships hinder his ability to help others and to show genuine compassion at a time of need.
“I’ve got mental health problems, but it doesn’t stop me being human,” Reynolds said.
Perhaps it is we, the housed population, who have forgotten that.
Talk to Your Representatives About Our Fellow Human Beings Living Outside in the Storm
Raise your voice as they would if it were you.
Housing isn’t a luxury; it is a basic need. Without it, the rain continues to pour down on our unsheltered neighbors. They are drowning every day in a flood of ignorance and disregard.
Their cries for help have gone ignored for far too long. Talk to your representatives about making housing a permanent, irrevocable human right.