CONYERS — June 17 will be The Brathwaites Community Heroes Day in Conyers from now on.
“I’m just beyond grateful. I was not expecting that!” said Alana Bryant.
Bryant is from Conyers. She was driving past downtown Atlanta on Interstate 75 to pick her little girl up at daycare last month when rain flooded the highway and sent her car floating.
“I couldn’t imagine her being on top of that car,” Conyers Mayor Connie Alsobrook told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco.
The mayor said she watched on television as a stranger put himself in harm’s way, waded into the flood and carried the mother to safety on his back.
“I said, ‘I got to do something for them.’ I want them to know, ‘Hey, you matter. You did something that most people won’t do,’” said Alsobrook.
So, she honored George and Chyna Brathwaite at Wednesday’s City Council meeting for rescuing the local mom.
“Two words. Just help. That’s it,” said Chyna Brathwaite.
“It’s that simple,” said George Brathwaite.
Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management said the roads flooded because aging pipes were clogged.
Commissioner Greg Eyerly said staff will be monitoring cameras and water pressure sensors during a storm that could hit Thursday.
“We have to know where to respond,” said Eyerly.
At times, a city cannot respond fast enough during a crisis. The Conyers mom said she finds comfort in knowing there are neighbors out there like the Brathwaites.
“It’s very comforting to see the love that’s being shared,” said Bryant. “It also shows how much appreciation we have for each other as a community.”
Attorneys said drivers whose cars are damaged in a flood can, sometimes, sue a city if staff failed to perform prevention duties.
Atlanta and outside agencies are still investigating to find out if that was the case last month.
However, if your car was damaged, there is a form you can fill out online to ask the city for reimbursement.
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