She didn't answer. None of her friends would call so early. Next she heard her text alert. Her e-mail chimed in another room. Somebody really wanted her attention. On voicemail, a somber sounding man warned Emily that she lived in a flood-prone area. She was advised to evacuate. The evacuation wasn't mandatory, but Emily knew enough about Austin's flood history that she wasn't going to risk it. She made tea and checked the weather outside her front door. It was windy and pouring so hard that she was instantly covered in a fine mist from the blow. The flood in her street was deep enough for a small boat to navigate. That got her attention. Emily had to move fast to get out of the city in her tiny car. Outbound lanes would be open, but bridges going downtown were always closed during flood warnings. Every year some yahoo tried to cross a closed bridge and ended up with his car swept away, usually while he was still in it. Emily called her parents. Her father answered on the first ring. “Hey, sweetheart.”
