Angelina & Neches River Authority commends first-responders who rescued employee from excavated hole

The Lufkin Daily News
ANRA
June 17, 2023

The Angelina & Neches River Authority would like to thank all the agencies, volunteer fire departments and EMS that responded to an emergency call around 5:30 p.m. June 1 to assist with the rescue of an ANRA employee, who was entrapped in sand in an excavated hole during a water leak repair.

Our sincerest appreciation for the quick response and successful rescue goes out to the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, Lufkin Fire Department — Special Operations Unit, Central Volunteer Fire Department, city of Lufkin water and sewer department, Angelina County EMS and any other units that responded. A special thank you to the Rivercrest-Redland Volunteer Fire Department, who remained on scene, after the rescue, until the water leak repair was completed.

We are happy to report that the employee who was rescued was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and was released that evening. He sustained no life-threatening injuries and was released by his doctor to return to work the following Monday.

“Although the very nature of a lot of the work that we do at ANRA is inherently dangerous, we do not settle for mediocrity when it comes to employee safety,” ANRA general manager Kelley Holcomb said. “Having an unsafe work environment would be an injustice to all of the great, hardworking employees at ANRA. Their safety is my top priority because we’re a family here.”

ANRA’s safety committee has been tasked with developing additional safety protocols for implementation and providing advanced safety training for all of it employees who work in potentially hazardous conditions.

We are incredibly thankful that we live and work in a community that looks out for each other and we hope we can someday return the favor.

For more information about ANRA, contact info@anra.org, call (936) 632-7795 or visit anra.org.

The Angelina & Neches River Authority’s central office is located in Lufkin. ANRA’s territorial jurisdiction consists of 8,500 square miles that lie wholly or in part of 17 counties. ANRA focuses on water quality management, water resource development and conservation of water resources.