Chick-fil-A sends jet skis to rescue elderly couple trapped in Houston flooding
A local Chick-fil-A store in Houston sent out a boat and jet skis to save an elderly couple who were trapped in their home due to heavy flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.
On Monday morning, Chick-fil-A responded to a call from J.C. Spencer who decided to call the restaurant to order breakfast and a rescue boat after he and his wife, Karen, failed to get a response from 911.
"I ordered two grilled chicken burritos with extra egg and a boat," Spencer recounted in an interview with Good Morning America. "And can you believe that one of the managers of Chick-fil-A, she sent her husband to pick us up and we are so grateful," he continued.
The restaurant, which is known for its Christian practice of never opening on Sundays, was closed on Monday due to the rising floodwaters, but Chick-fil-A Manager Jeffrey Urban happened to be in the restaurant at that time to check on things.
Urban noticed that the phone was ringing continuously and found out that the call was from the Spencers, who were known to order breakfast from the restaurant on a regular basis.
Urban answered the call thinking that Spencer wanted to place their daily order, not knowing that the store was closed.
The store manager narrated that Spencer wittingly placed his regular order and asked for help, explaining that the floodwaters had risen to a dangerous level and that he cannot get a response from 911.
"He was saying he was trying to reach out to people, and he couldn't get any response from 911," Urban told HLN on Thursday.
"So he called Chick-fil-A to see if we could help him out. And it was such a blessing that, in that exact moment, I was there to answer the phone and get him help," he added.
After the call, Urban contacted the store owner and HR director Cindy Smith to coordinate a rescue effort for the couple.
Smith's husband, who owned a boat, headed to the Spencers' house along with a few of his neighbors with a jet ski in tow.
The Spencers reportedly had a difficult time choosing what belongings to bring with them in a small boat, but the rescuers were able to carry them from their home on jet skis.
Urban said that Spencer called Chick-fil-A again, two days after the dramatic rescue, but this time, he really did just wanted his breakfast burrito.