After the Flood
After the Flood
It was the knocking that woke up Ramiro Rodriguez.
Like many Texans in the state’s Hill Country the eve of July 4, Rodriguez, a crew leader at Atmos Energy, had gone to bed expecting a couple of inches of rain.
He’d woken up briefly when the rain started and again when one of his sons woke him when the power went out. The third time, it was the knocking. And when he opened his door in the pitch black, his neighbors—wet, cold and visibly shaken—told him the Bumblebee Hills subdivision was flooding and that his property was the only high ground left.
Rodriguez quickly ushered them inside. He realized then that the Guadalupe River was roaring and, when he shone his flashlight into his front yard, that the water was lapping at the bottom of his driveway, just 100 feet away.
Rodriguez began to call other neighbors, including Lily and Joe, who lives with Parkinson’s disease. That’s when he learned that they were trapped.
Rodriguez swung into action.
The water was only about ankle deep at his driveway, but after navigating the 200 feet to Joe and Lily’s home, the flowing water was high enough and had enough force that Joe couldn’t open the door against it to leave the house.
Rodriguez helped him pry the door open. But with Joe’s unsteady gait, Rodriguez wasn’t sure how they’d get to safety. “We have an asphalt street, and I couldn’t feel it. All I could feel was mud and debris. That’s why I knew that if I [had a hard time] feeling my way through, Joe would have a struggle,” he said.
Using a tow strap found in Joe’s garage, Rodriguez was able to tether Joe to himself. Locking hands with Lily, he was able to successfully guide them both to his house. Then, he was back on the phone, telling his neighbors, “If y’all can get up here, come over. I’ll meet y’all halfway.”
All told, Rodriguez sheltered 18 people that night, ranging in age from a one-year-old to a 67-year-old. The group huddled together, waiting out the storm as Rodriguez passed out towels, blankets, waters and flashlights, while his sons, then 6 and 10, entertained the other children with their pet bunnies. “My only thought was to gather as many people as I could,” he said. “Everybody was shaken up, so our main goal was just to make sure everyone was safe and as comfortable as they could be.”
When the sun rose and the flood waters receded, Rodriguez found that his was the only house in his subdivision unaffected. And while the damage was extensive, no one in his subdivision lost their life. In the aftermath, with the support of Atmos Energy, Rodriguez continued to help his neighbors by removing debris and assisting with cleanup.
“We preach it all the time at Atmos Energy,” Rodriguez said. “Always stay prepared for whatever happens, whatever comes.”
Because of his heroic actions, Rodriguez earned the 2026 Meritorious Service Award from the American Gas Association. “Ramiro demonstrated courage, quick action, and unwavering commitment to human life during a catastrophic event,” said AGA President and CEO Karen Harbert. “His heroism on that night saved lives and stands as a powerful example of service in the natural gas industry.”