The tube rose into the air and looked like a worm. It caused the neighbors to laugh out loud, but Randy never stopped. He kept pumping without stopping, hoping that he had enough time left. In fact, he ignored them all, knowing that they might regret their choice to point and laugh instead of doing the same thing.
Randy Wagner
Randy Wagner had a take on life like no other. His dad had always told him that life wasn’t easy. After working for most of it, he had a few things, like a nice house in Rosharon, Texas. However, something soon happened that might threaten his family.
Randy Wagner
Rain and Wind
In May of 2016, Texas was plagued by severe storms. The rain came down for an entire week without stopping. Soon, the water levels rose, and Randy checked the news all the time. He hoped the storms didn’t flood him out.
Rain And Wind
Terrifying Reports
Brenham County had now been submerged in about 19 inches of rain. In fact, the roads had flooded, and people had been missing. It was a scary situation, and Randy worried about what might happen.
Terrifying Reports
No One Else
Randy lived just 100 miles away from the area that was getting hit hard. He was concerned, but he was shocked by his neighbors. In Brazoria County, where he lived, no one else was taking the situation seriously. Randy, though, was different!
No One Else
Not Taking It Seriously
No one took the flood warning seriously and wasn’t bothered by them. Randy overheard many people saying that the storms couldn’t be that bad. They were setting up cameras to show the storm on social media. Instead, he was stockpiling for the event.
Not Taking It Seriously
Evacuation Order
About a month after the initial flood warnings began, a mandatory evacuation was then ordered for Brazoria County. Now, people started to get the idea that things were pretty bad and started to panic. What about Randy?
Evacuation Order
Getting Prepared
Most of his neighbors weren’t prepared for the event. They had spent so much time setting things up and not believing how bad it could get. However, Randy Wagner had been stockpiling and had the necessities to outlast the horror.
Getting Prepared
Standing Firm
Randy wasn’t about to stand by and let the flood destroy everything and didn’t want to abandon his things. How could he stand up to nature? He scoured the internet for anything. There had to be something he could do, and then he got a possible answer.
Standing Firm
Running out of Time
Finally, Randy found an unconventional solution to his problem online. However, he couldn’t wait for delivery, and most of the companies had shut down. Plus, he needed the necessary time to set things up. What could he do?
Running Out Of Time
A Quick Decision
Meteorologists had predicted that the storm could hit any day, and there was no time to lose. His wife and children prepared to evacuate, but Randy jumped into his vehicle and left them, racing to Louisiana and praying hard.
A Quick Decision
The Road Trip
Randy didn’t know how long he might have but had to get to Louisiana and back home before the rain. He decided it might take 8.5 hours to get there. As he left, his wife called him crazy, but he felt that his plan should work.
The Road Trip
A Dangerous Situation
As Randy drove along the roads, he saw tons of storm damage around him. What if he got to one that had been closed on his journey? This worried him, but he was even more fearful that the roads might be closed on the way home to Texas, dooming him and his family.
A Dangerous Situation
His Poor Family
If he had not left himself enough time to get back home, his family could be in severe danger. His failed plan could cost them their lives. In fact, if the storm hit right then, his family couldn’t leave because he had the only car.
His Poor Family
The Race for Home
As he raced home, he prayed he still had time. It was a dangerous 260-mile trip, but he made it. At the destination, he handed over $8,300, and they loaded this 800-pound item on the truck. He pulled into the driveway, seeing his neighbors rushing, but Randy was calm.
The Race For Home
The Maddening Crowd
Randy started to position tubes around the perimeter of his home and fired up his two gasoline generators. The spectacle in the yard began to attract people while they loaded up their cars. Some of them worried about the fuel smells.
The Maddening Crowd
Clouds Roll In
Overripe and huge clouds had started to come from the South now. Still, his neighbors couldn’t pass up the chance to mock him and made the time they needed. In fact, they gathered to point and laugh at Randy while he tried outwitting Mother Nature.
Clouds Roll In
Jeers
The neighbors should have been evacuating but were jeering while they watched Randy fill the black tubes around his property. Most people called him crazy, but he continued adding water from a ditch. Then, they started rising. What was his plan?!
Jeers
No Faith
Randy’s wife wanted to see what was happening and seemed horrified at what her husband was doing. Why was he being pigheaded? She noticed the huge tube, but it seemed like a water wing or some kind of toy.
No Faith
Yelling and Screaming
Instead of helping, she started to yell at her husband. He should have been preparing to evacuate and assist her with packing and the kids. What was he doing instead of being there for her? She had no idea what was coming next.
Yelling And Screaming
Disaster Coming
The president had declared a disaster for the state, so military airboats and vehicles were there evacuating the locals. Luckily, the water hadn’t reached Randy’s neighborhood yet as he tried to get his strange device to work. However, it was just a matter of time.
Disaster Coming
What It Was
Randy had been searching for any way to stop the water from hurting his beautiful home. He had seen people erect barriers before. Finally, he found a contraption online that was called an AquaDam and believed it might work.
What It Was
The AquaDam
This contraption was a huge, watertight tube that was 450 feet long and 30 inches tall. Though some neighbors had tried to make dams with sandbags for their properties, Randy was hoping to erect one complete barrier around his home.
The AquaDam
The Flood Waters Come
Randy spent half a day erecting the AquaDam. Everyone else was gone by then. A day later, the water arrived and started rising. Randy watched it surround other homes and bump up against the dam. If the water went over 30 inches deep, he was in trouble!
The Flood Waters Come
The Aftermath
Pictures and reports started pouring in about the devastation in the town. The news channels had nothing else to show. They depicted waterlogged businesses and homes that were now not standing or soaked through and through.
The Aftermath
The Dry House
As footage from one news helicopter circulated, it was clear that one house stood dry among the wreckage. Randy had a green island in the middle of a 27-inch brown sea. However, he wasn’t the only one. Someone else was in the same situation but without the luxury of this inflatable barrier.
The Dry House
Flash Floods
In Little Rock, Arkansas, another man was watching the reports with dread. James Hill knew his area wasn’t about to be spared because there were heavy rains and flash floods all around. He saw his family’s pale faces as they wondered what to do.
Flash Floods
Another Family
James couldn’t stand it any longer. The reports were now showing at least 10 inches of rain, and that didn’t account for the water already on the ground. However, he wasn’t just worried about his family’s fate. What else was there?
Another Family
The Crops
While James was worried about his family and their safety, he was also fearful of losing his 10,000 acres of crops. They were right on the front line of the coming flood. His entire livelihood of bringing in food was about to wash away.
The Crops
Much to Lose
More than anything, though, James wanted his wife and two sons to be safe. What was his solution? Did he just pack up their belongings and scatter like everyone else? He felt a deep stab of pain as he looked at their heirlooms and family photos.
Much To Lose
The Glimmer of Hope
Just a few minutes later, James saw a gray and red glint of metal beside the barn. A lightbulb of an idea sparked in his head. What could he have been thinking, and what was the metal piece that gave him the thought?
The Glimmer Of Hope
Let’s Go
There might be something else the family could do instead of abandoning it all. He tossed the keys to his older son and said, “Let’s go.” Everyone stared at him in confusion. The wife asked through her tears if they were leaving.
Let’s Go
Tons of Gas
He said they weren’t leaving, but he had to go to the gas station and fill up his cans with diesel fuel. His wife said that their car didn’t take diesel, but James said that the solution to their problem was in the barn. There was a final stand they should take.
Tons Of Gas
The Trip
James had sent his son alone to the gas station with every jerry can they had. It was a now-or-never situation, and his son hopped in the car and headed out. However, James stayed behind to get started on his little plan.
The Trip
It’s Alive
Dumping the last bit of diesel he had into the tank, he held his breath and tried to start it. The motor spat but sputtered to life, and a smile of hope showed on James’ face. He hadn’t used this excavator in six months. However, he had no idea he might lose friends because of it.
It’s Alive
Not Again
This family had already suffered from a devastating flood years ago. He was determined that it wasn’t happening again. He and the two boys used the digger to build a levee around their home. However, it was a race against time.
Not Again
An Upset Wife
His wife was busy in the house, moving their possessions upstairs. James had come in to get a granola bar to help with his hunger and saw that she’d been crying. Wondering what was wrong, he asked her to explain and that things were sure to be okay.
An Upset Wife
Angry, Begging Neighbors
It was actually worse than he expected. She wasn’t upset about the turmoil. Some of the neighbors had noticed what was happening. They called her to beg James to do the same thing for their homes. This was a big problem, but why?
Angry, Begging Neighbors
Not Enough Time
The clouds were now rolling in, and the darkening sky made it feel like evening-time. James was already praying that the flood held off long enough to finish their barrier. There wasn’t time to help others, but the neighbors didn’t care. As the first drops fell, he held his breath and pushed the machine harder because they weren’t done.
Not Enough Time
The Push to the Finale
James had to ignore the stream of water that kept running down his face. The rains had come, and they weren’t letting up. In fact, the excavator was now scraping mud to create their make-shift levee.
The Push To The Finale
Just in Time
It was a miracle that the family finished in time. However, they had lost the crops and only managed to protect their home. In fact, their neighbors had to evacuate and leave, but his family was now safe, which is ultimately the most important thing.
Just In Time
