Man rescued from sinking raft was former state EPD director
Below is a Channel 2 Action News video clip detailing the rescue of a 70-year-old man from the frigid waters of a quarry in Cobb County.
Cobb authorities refused to identify the rescued man, but our AJC colleague Chris Joyner has learned he is Harold Reheis, the former state Environmental Protection Division director and a longtime presence at the state Capitol. Reheis is recovering at WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center in Marietta.
Writes Joyner:
"The water was cold and he got severe hypothermia," said Joe Tanner, firm chairman and a former Department of Natural Resources commissioner. "It was a very scary incident."
Tanner said Reheis was wearing a life vest and tried to swim to the edge of the quarry while fighting a persistent wind. Tanner's grown son had accompanied Reheis to the quarry and dialed 911 from the shore when he determined Reheis was too far away for him to rescue on his own, Tanner said.
Tanner said Reheis is in his late 60s, while Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services listed him as 70. Tanner praised the work of first responders and the hospital and said Reheis is expected to make a full recovery.
"You ask why didn't we hire somebody to do that? The truth of the matter is that he loves doing that stuff," he said. "We are going to make him rest for a few days and then we expect him to come back to work."
Reheis began work with the state in 1969 as an environmental engineer and was EPD director from 1991 to 2003.
About the Author
Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.
