Using lessons passed down to them by their late father, brothers Justin and Tucker Humphrey of Bogota, Tennessee, took flood preparation to a higher level to save their childhood home during historic flooding in April.
Fox Weather interviewed the brothers after their remarkable success, sharing amazing aerial footage of a roughly three-acre segment of their family's land, surrounded by muddy water and looking like a well-fortified sandcastle with the tide rising.
The video report and an associated article detailed how the brothers used farm equipment, plastic sheeting, and dirt to build a levee mere days before their small community of about 100 people was inundated.
Facing what Fox called "perhaps the worst flood their town had seen in nearly a century," the Humphreys' efforts stand as a model of disaster preparation that could be an inspiration to others dealing with extreme weather.
As the waters rose, they thought of their father, who died four years ago, Justin Humphrey told the news outlet. Humphrey said his father had built a levee three times before and that, once the brothers were old enough, their dad made a point of teaching his sons the method and logic behind raising a levee to protect their childhood home.
"He wasn't an engineer or anything, but we like to be resilient around here and figure it out ourselves," said Justin Humphrey, a farmer and third-generation Bogota resident who still lives nearby.
Aided by neighbors who brought them supplies, including by boat, the brothers were able to raise a perimeter of earth between 6 and 9 feet high, accounting for a slope. Ultimately, they were able to save the home their mother still lives in, after moving her temporarily to Justin's home on higher ground.
Although isolated flood events are not proof of a trend, scientists have documented that extreme weather is on the rise overall. NASA and other leading organizations attribute this increase to higher global temperatures driven primarily by heat-trapping pollution.
Accurate forecasting, disaster preparedness, and overall resilience in the face of extreme events are important parts of society's responses to the increasing intensity of floods, heat waves, droughts, and other disasters.
People can take precautions to save their property and lives — in part by being knowledgeable and staying aware of local dangers and options, as the Humphreys did in Tennessee. Elsewhere, other homeowners have taken precautions such as raising walls or building storm-resistant homes.
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Move somewhere else 🌎 Looking ahead, Justin Humphrey expressed hope that, by telling their tale, he and his brother can call attention to the plight of neighbors in Bogota still recovering after the flood. There is a GoFundMe page to support the community through the Bogota, Tennessee Area Flood Fund.
"This story is amazing, and those brothers are humble," said one commenter on the YouTube post of the interview. "... They downplay their knowledge — building a working levee (even temporary) is not easy stuff."
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