Highway employee honored after rescuing children from swift floodwaters

The Baldwin County Commission recognized highway employee Ian Hance after county staff described a rescue at the County Road 64 bridge during last week’s flooding.

Forrest Davis, Hance’s supervisor, told commissioners that on April 7 Hance and co-worker Jack Rizmondo were monitoring water at the Styx River crest and were turning vehicles around to keep motorists safe. Davis said Hance observed a woman pulling a raft carrying three small children; as they disembarked into two feet of water one child was nearly swept away until another man at the scene grabbed him. "Ian rushed into the water like it was like, he didn't have a thought about it. He ran out there to grab that little girl," Davis said.

Commissioners and other speakers praised Hance’s actions. One commissioner described the rescue as "saving that child's life" and thanked county employees for going beyond job duties during emergencies. The commission presented a round of applause and public recognition; the meeting included a short video of the rescue shown to the commissioners.

Ending: County leaders asked residents to avoid driving into floodwaters and applauded employees who assisted during the storm. No formal vote was required to recognize Hance; the item was presented as a personnel recognition in the presentations portion of the meeting.