A family went through a harrowing experience last week after their box truck home started flooding due to rain storms.
Brandon Rieck sent us videos and photos of their box truck home, with his wife and 2-year-old child inside, as it started to flood last Thursday at Oak Flat Campground off US 60 east of the Valley.
Rieck, who had flown to Tennessee for work, tells ABC15 he spoke with his frantic wife over the phone.
"I got a call from her that there was some heavy rain coming in, and you know, she was kind of stressing about it," said Rieck, who was thousands of miles away at the time.
The downpour came quickly, pinning Rieck’s family in their home. His wife told him water started leaking into the front side of the cab, then the rear, where the electrical components were.
"And so I kind of just walked her through removing the batteries and unfortunately that meant shutting off all the lights in the truck, so it was just her and the crying baby and using her phone flashlight kind of navigating around," said Rieck.
The water was freezing, and Rieck’s wife could not come out with her baby in hand. Luckily, the family had some good friends nearby who came in for a rescue, wading through the cold, waist-deep water to carry them out.
"It's just very comforting knowing that this community has always got each other's backs," said Rieck.
Rieck spent the weekend towing his home out from the waters. He says there are no warning signs about flooding where he parked at the campgrounds. He hopes that could change.
"People should be made aware of that hazard. We had no idea. It would have been very simple for us to park in a slightly different spot," said Rieck.
We reached out to the US Forest Service to ask what flood warnings, if any, they have posted in that area. We have not yet heard back.
