Conway area flood rescuers turn Glory Train into rescue boat for community
Matt Cribb and Blake Martin believe when someone needs help, you help them.
It’s as simple as that.
In October, Martin wasn’t home when floodwaters moved through his Pitch Landing apartment in Conway. Cribb, a friend who played in the same gospel band, Glory Train, got his boat and took Martin in to see what, if anything, they could salvage. On the way to Martin’s apartment, the two stopped to render aid to a firefighter.
“One of the firefighters had a Jet Ski and had gone in to rescue people, but his Jet Ski broke down,” Cribb recalled. “So, the firefighter had to jump in the boat with us.”
I’d do it again if I needed to. If anybody ever needed me, I’d be there.
Matt Cribb
The firefighter was responding to a 9-1-1 call from someone in a house farther down the river.
“Matt and I, we pretty much looked at each other and said we have to help these people,” said Martin. “They didn’t have enough boats at that particular landing and every boat was being used somewhere else. That’s why they sent that firefighter out on a Jet Ski.”
They began going door to door until they found the two women, a mother and daughter, who made the call.
Cribb and Martin loaded the women, some bags they’d packed, and a group of small animals (a couple of cats and four guinea pigs) onto Cribb’s small boat, then headed back up the river.
Most importantly to be a light for our Lord and Savior. That’s what he would have done. That’s the way we try to live our lives.
Blake Martin
Firefighters met them off to the side with a firetruck, taking over the rescue operation from there.
Then, Cribb and Martin headed back down the river to see if anyone else needed to be evacuated or whether those who chose to stay might need supplies. Cribb even left his number with several people, telling them if they needed anything to call and he’d come back.
“I hate to see people go through something like that. I’ve been through hard times in my life and there’s been people who’ve reached out to me,” Cribb said. “That’s what God wants us to do – love one another.”
Martin says he, too, is guided by his faith. “Most importantly to be a light for our Lord and Savior. That’s what he would have done. That’s the way we try to live our lives.”
Martin, who lost most of his belongings in the flood, ended up moving in with Cribb and his wife Mandy for a while.
He was gracious enough to let me stay in his son’s room. He and his wife and his kids treated me just like family.
Blake Martin
“He was gracious enough to let me stay in his son’s room,” Martin said. “He and his wife and his kids treated me just like family.”
And while the rising waters didn’t cause any damage to Cribb’s home, the flooding ended up putting him out of a job when his employer, a landscaping company, was forced to shut down.
Cribb has since taken a job in Charleston. He sees it as part of God’s plan. Looking back, he says he was happy to help where he could.
“I’d do it again if I needed to,” Cribb said. “If anybody ever needed me, I’d be there.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 11:57 PM with the headline "Conway area flood rescuers turn Glory Train into rescue boat for community."