By Sara Oppenheimer
For Charleston Gazette-Mail
Michael Epoulipiy did not begin his shift Sunday thinking he would save a life, but when he saw a woman — who he now knows was Raven Harper — floating down a street in her car, he acted before he could think.
“It was all action and reaction,” Epoulipiy said. “Really the only thought I could probably put into words was, how can I help?”
Epoulipiy is a 38-year-old heavy equipment operator for the City of Charleston Streets Department.
Sunday marked a historic amount of rain for West Virginia, with 4.23 inches falling at the West Virginia Yeager Airport, according to Joe Curtis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston. For many neighborhoods in the Kanawha Valley — such as Garrison Avenue — this meant unprecedented flooding.
More than 50 water rescue calls, including Harper and Epoulipiy, were logged during the flooding, but no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
‘I’ll never forget that scream’
According to Epoulipiy, he and his team were using a dump truck to pick up debris before the storm when rainwater began pouring down Garrison Avenue. They tried to block the flow of water by parking the truck sideways on the street so Harper — who was also heading uphill to deliver dinner to her mother — could turn around and drive off Garrison Avenue before the flood got too intense. But a rush of water washed down the street, taking Harper, car and all, with it.
“After that first initial scream after she got picked up and started moving, I threw the truck in park,” Epoulipiy said. “I’m not going to forget that scream.”
Epoulipiy, despite protests from the other members of his team, jumped in immediately to save her, wading — and swimming — in Harper’s direction until she hit a tree and Epoulipiy pulled her out of her car.
Epoulipiy guided Harper through breathing exercises to calm her nerves, then helped her through the water — which had surged to the height of his chest — to a nearby porch, the nearest dry surface he could find. He sat beside Harper, waiting for the water to recede, keeping conversation with her to distract her from the situation, a technique he learned from his fiancé.
“My main thought was trying to keep her calm,” Epoulipiy said. “My fiancé has anxiety pretty bad. She told me a couple things from her therapist that stuck with me, keeping your mind focused on distractions instead of what you wanted to focus on.”
In 2016, Epoulipiy helped his mother and her husband escape their house during flooding in Elkview. His experiences during the deadly flood, which killed four people, prepared him to get Harper to safety.
“I’ve seen how water, when it goes around a building, will build up speed and strength,” Epoulipiy said. “You just have to keep your head above water and try not to get smacked in the face with anything.”
Harper was transported to a hospital where she was treated and released.
‘I wasn’t trying to be a hero’
Epoulipiy proceeded to work a 24-hour shift, taking only four hours to rest afterward. He said he’s worked overtime every day since.
“It’s the same thing when we get caught after a bad snow,” Epoulipiy said. “We do what we need to do, come back, grab a couple of hours, then head back out.”
After the storm, Epoulipiy connected with Harper through a coworker, and began talking to her through Facebook.
“I wasn’t trying to be a hero,” Epoulipiy said, when asked if he would do it again. “I just did what I needed to do.”
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