Rain, Rain, Rain

Yesterday here in NE Ohio, our area got about 2-3" of rain. I guess I should be happy that it wasn't snow but truthfully, I'd have been happier with the white stuff instead of the wet stuff.

But we got rain and with that much rain falling you get a lot of water pooling under overpasses. You also get a few people that can't tell when there is a lot of water in front of them and they drive their cars into about three feet of standing water.

I was sent to one of these places where five people decided they could make it through that much water. Each one needed to be pulled out of their cars because they couldn't make it through. I shot my video from the north side of the overpass then realized that I could get much closer if I went to the south end of the scene. I did what any logical person would do. I drove around the area using side streets to get to the other side.

I set up my shot, edited three v.o.'s of various flooding areas that I'd shot that night and fed them back. Then I waited for my reporter to show. About 15 minutes before our hit my phone rings..

"Brian, where are you at?"

"I'm on the south side of the water. Where are you?", I asked.

"I'm on the north end. Can you see when I turn my headlights off and on?"

"Yep, I can see them. But you'll need to come around. The scene is better from this side."

"Ok...but I think I can make it through the water."

"What??!!?!"

"I think I can make it through. It doesn't look that high."

"Um...I don't think you should do that. There's already one SUV that is stuck in the water. Your's won't make it through that.."

"But it doesn't look that deep. I think I can really make it.."

"Famous last words.", I told him. "Go around through the Metro Parks and don't risk it."

I could just see our reporter becoming part of the news story by getting his car stuck in the high water. I know that his car would have flooded and he wouldn't have made it through.

He eventually went around and made the shot but I didn't need the headache of my reporter not making the shot because he thought he could make it through.

Although, it would have made great video....