Houston man helps friend out of flood waters during Tropical Storm Imelda

With now-downgraded Tropical Storm Imelda still dumping inches of rain across the greater Houston area, one good Samaritan has some sound advice for drivers.

Close to downtown, a man drove into a flooded on-ramp to the East Freeway westbound from Jensen Drive around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. That driver called his friend, Joseph Harrison, for help.

Harrison drove his commercial van to the intersection and down the ramp to try and help pull his friend’s car out, but it was too late. While the driver made it out OK and is safe, the car was completely submerged.

A wrecker was seen trying to pull it out of the flooded on-ramp.

Harrison, who was thankful his friend made it out okay, echoed the same advice shared by public safety authorities around the area during storms like Imelda.

“It’s not worth getting out (in this weather),” Harrison told Chron.com. “Even if you have to go to work, your employer ought to understand. You could lose your life. You could lose your vehicle. … Stay in, wait until it’s daylight where you are able to see the water on the road. Don’t take the chance.”

The westbound on-ramp from Jensen to the East Freeway was still closed due to the high water as of 10:30 a.m.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com