Stranded 5 days on island in Broad River, Columbia man rescued

Friends called Columbia police on Christmas Day saying they hadn’t seen William Brock, 61, since Monday. They knew Brock was camping on an island in the Broad River before heavy rains earlier in the week turned the river into a churning, roiling monster.

Brock was located about 11a.m. Saturday by the Columbia Fire Department’s search-and-rescue unit on an island behind 2050 Watermark Place, police chief Skip Holbrook said in a news release.

“CPD and CFD’s joint efforts, and the actions of Brock’s friends are what made for the successful rescue of Brock when time was of the essence,” Holbrook said

Although police still haven’t determined exactly what happened and how Brock survived, the man apparently became stranded when rising waters cut off his access to the mainland. Treacherous conditions on the river, including thick fog, rising water levels and a swift current added urgency to the search.

As other Midlanders defied the rain to finish last-minute Christmas shopping, dodging local road closures due to flash flooding and washouts, Brock watched the Broad River eat into his place of purchase, near the Columbia Canal.

When discovered, Brock was in good condition and spirits, Holbrook said. Just to be safe, he was taken to a local hosital to be checked out.

Brock has no permanent address, Holbrook said.