With Tropical Storm Harvey lashing at his city and no official word from headquarters, Houston Fire Capt. Scott Wilkey took matters into his own hands and drove the 35 miles from his home to the Houston fire station he commands.
It was Saturday, Aug. 26, and meteorologists were warning of catastrophic flooding in the city.
Over the next 72 hours, Wilkey and hundreds of other Houston firefighters would be involved in some of the most dramatic and harrowing house rescues this city has seen – all without an official order to report to work from superiors.
With thousands of residents trapped by rising floodwaters, Houston Fire officials waited until Tuesday, Aug. 29, before ordering a partial increase in the number of firefighters to their stations, according to firefighters, department officials and internal emails.