Essential worker drowns in flooded underpass while driving to work, Texas mayor says 

Fort Worth Star Telegram
BY MITCHELL WILLETTS JULY 09, 2024

An essential government worker is dead after becoming trapped and drowning in a flooded Houston underpass, Texas officials say. Hurricane Beryl unleashed torrential rain over much of southeast Texas, and while most Houston residents stayed home like officials requested, “tier 1” employees — those whose jobs are deemed essential — were ordered to come to work. The 54-year-old information security officer, a civilian IT employee of the Houston Police Department, was driving to work on the morning of Monday, July 8, when he exited Interstate 45 and suddenly found himself stuck in a flooded underpass, Mayor John Whitmire said during a news briefing. The employee, Russell Richardson, “knew he was in trouble” and quickly called 911 for help, Whitmire said. But first responders weren’t able to get to Richardson in time, and he drowned inside his vehicle. “I’ve been there all afternoon, watching his colleagues retrieve his body from his submerged car,” he said, adding that Richardson was “one of our heroes.”

Richardson was a husband and father, Acting Chief of Police Larry Satterwhite said in a statement. Flanked by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, city and emergency management officials, Whitmire asked for a moment of silence. “Life is fragile. Most Houstonians listened to us last night (and) stayed at home,” Whitmire said. Still, staying home can’t guarantee safety, as two people were killed in the Houston area when trees toppled by the storm came crashing down on top of them, McClatchy News reported. As of Tuesday morning, at least six people have died in Texas, and one in Louisiana, as a result of the hurricane, the Associated Press reported.