An hour later the clouds opened up and started belting down thick sheets of water. Jeff checked his phone - the forecast said rain was still a few hours away. He started getting an uncomfortable feeling - a sense that something was off. He excused himself headed to the garage, gathering up their emergency supplies - some canned food, jugs of water, flashlights, an emergency radio. He placed them on the kitchen island. He told Shelby and Jacque he had a bad feeling about this storm, and suggested maybe they turn off their phones, only turning them back on every couple of hours for updates.

Standing water started pooling in...