Neighbors Questioned Man Adding $8K Worth Of Plastic To His Home Until The Floods Came

As record-breaking storms swept across Brazoria County, Texas, local Randy Wagner felt helpless as he watched the wind and rain wreak havoc on his town. After heavy rainfall that just didn't quit, Randy watched the floodwaters rising and rising — eventually extending well over two feet — washing away trees, and causing major havoc to homes in the area. Refusing to let his home be one of those that were sieged by water, he had an idea on how to safeguard his property that was... unorthodox (to say the least). But would it work? He had nothing to lose.

Close-knit community

Wagner, a family man, lives in Rosharon, Texas — also known as “Buttermilk Station.” With a population of just 1,401, it's a pretty tight-knit community; the type where everyone knows their neighbors and each others' business. So when Randy started talking about his idea, word spread fast.

A year to remember

It would have been fine if Rosharon received the normal amount of rain in 2016, but mother nature had other plans. The whole county — which sits on the Gulf Coast — typically gets about four inches of rainfall. But that year, the weather would prove to be a lot more dramatic.

Everyone was on edge

After Rosharon saw heavy flooding in May of that year, huge portions of the roads in the area were already well eroded. Plus, the Brazos River Authority went on to predict more storms, with floods set to reach even greater heights. Reports even suggested that the Brazos river could peak at 53 and a half feet. Residents, then, were naturally on edge upon hearing that. It would certainly mean floods.

Stopping at nothing

Ahead of the next wave of storms, Wagner found the idea of having to move his loved ones away from the area to be “heartbreaking.” There was probably nothing this resourceful man wouldn’t have done to shield his home and brood from danger — even if it may have seemed a little “crazy” to outsiders.

Research

Wagner had to do all he could to safeguard his home, so he got to work scouring the internet to find out all the possible options available to him. There must be a solution out there — and one that would cost far less than the repairs needed after potential flood damage. After all, the goal is just to keep the water out, right? It couldn't be that hard...

A possible solution

He came across a device called an AquaDam — a 400-foot set-up of tubes that are pumped with water and positioned around a home to envelop and protect it from rising floods. It was basically supposed to act like a single enormous bag of sand. Water to protect against water — could this really work? Well, Wagner thought it was worth a shot.

Leap of faith

It was clear that setting the plan in motion would involve toil and sweat. But it also required some travel. So, Wagner drove to Louisiana to buy his AquaDam. And he then later put two of his pals to work helping him get it set up.

A laughing stock

His neighbors, meanwhile, probably looked on in befuddled amusement as the giant snaking contraption began to take form. Apparently, many of them had opted to go for the more traditional method of staving off water: sandbags. “I was the crazy guy. Everybody was kind of going by, laughing at me…” Wagner would tell Houston TV station KHOU back in 2016.

Filling with water

Still, while locals gawked at him as though he’d finally lost the plot, Wagner persevered with his two workhorse buddies. “To not know what that level was going to stop at, I needed to prepare for something that no one has seen,” he recalled to KHOU, referring to the water level. After several hours of work, Wagner and his helpers had pumped water into hundreds of feet of plastic tubes extending to 30 inches in height. Was this really going to work?

Hoping and praying

In previous weeks, there had been talk of floods in the area potentially reaching levels only seen during the flooding of 1957. Wagner’s AquaDam, meanwhile, was allegedly capable of holding back two feet of water. He hoped and prayed that this promise — and his house — would hold up.

Looking on in fear

As the rain began to fall, then, it was now time for Wagner’s “crazy” AquaDam to be put to the test. The homeowner and his family were probably watching on in fear as the water levels climbed higher and higher. Perhaps the AquaDam wasn’t enough to hold back the raging forces of nature. Maybe it would burst, even!

Getting higher

As the storm continued to bash against the windows, anxiety likely permeated the air. Unbeknownst to Wagner at the time, though, the waters were actually exceeding that 24-inch AquaDam guaranteed limit and had reached a startling 27-inch height.

Military aid

Within the greater Rosharon community, neighbors and neighboring quarters weren’t faring so well. In parts of the area, involuntary displacements were called. Military vehicles had to be dispatched to assist, as the Brazoria river was waging its war against residents. The same residents who’d previously laughed at Wagner’s plan!

Wagner’s house

After a rough spell — which saw trees battered and nerves frayed — the rain eventually eased up. But would the AquaDam save the day and a gumboot-clad Wagner emerge a heroic genius? Or would his worries be realized as the floodwater rose, impinging on his home? The man of the house would have to prepare himself for the worst.

A sigh of relief

Wagner inspected his home and, to his likely relief, found that the AquaDam had done its job! This amazing invention had kept the water from the flood at bay — blocking him, his family, and his beloved home from harm. “I think God had a hand in it. He put me on the right website at the right time and gave me the warning that I needed to act,” he would later tell sources.

Wagner’s neighbors

While other families in the county bore some grim fallout from the storm, Wagner and his clan were spared — and apparently so were their possessions. Their neighbors, meanwhile, faced the challenge of fixing all the damage that had occurred. And by the looks of it, there was a lot...

A worthy investment

Homes were cleared out in their thousands owing to the monster flood. And while the resourceful Texan had shelled out $8,300 for that AquaDam, it was a minor expenditure compared to the $150,000 he might have needed to dole out if his house had been flooded. It also saved him and his family the grief and pain of being displaced. And it taught neighbors a valuable lesson.

No longer the “crazy guy”

Once the joke of the town, Wagner became the talk of the town and of the internet for his smart thinking. The “crazy guy” — as Wagner called himself — had been right in the end. After enduring snickers from other locals, he would later tell KHOU, “Today they are really impressed with this AquaDam.” But there’s another moral to the story...

Number one fan

Wagner also now seems to really trust himself, realizing that his intuition was correct in guiding him to make “the right decisions to be made during that week.” He also speaks glowingly of the AquaDam, having even suggested to KHOU that “emergency management could use it.” He added, “I remember when Addicks Reservoir was going over Highway 6. It could’ve been used.” Maybe next time he gets a gut feeling, then, others will take heed. Wagner believes God played a hand in his decisions leading up to the flood, and this isn’t the first time His presence has been felt during a storm.

Open bible

Firefighter Jason Fields was searching for survivors in the aftermath of a devastating tornado. In the past, he’d had to dig out lifeless bodies, salvage people’s homes, and even offer a shoulder to cry on for those most affected. But on this day he made a curious discovery. Amongst the terrible wreckage of the storm, Fields found an open bible. And when he took a closer look at the verse on the page, his faith in God was restored.

Ominous forecast

The setting for his discovery couldn’t have been more desperate. In the middle of a cold winter, a major tornado outbreak rocked the southern United States. The severe weather event got underway on December 16 as violent thunderstorms began rotating. These tornadoes then gathered strength and wreaked havoc in parts of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. And that’s when Fields’ team got involved.

High-flying debris

One of the tornadoes in this outbreak hit Vernon Parish, Louisiana, and was powerful enough to lift debris thousands of feet high. This same twister traveled on to Rapides Parish, LA, where the National Weather Service (NWS) announced a tornado emergency in the principal city of Alexandria. The resulting damage would be tragic.

Claiming a life

One tornado started in De Ridder, LA, at 11:10 a.m. And by the time it came to an end at 1:00 p.m., the tornado had traveled a staggering 62 miles to Pineville. The twister became 400 yards wide at one point and its winds reached 158 mph. It caused extensive property damage, uprooted trees onto homes — and claimed one life.

Destroyed business

Another tornado struck Columbia, Mississippi, where it caused significant damage to a body shop. The NWS damage survey stated that the building lost its roof before the tornado tossed “a car completely over the storefront.” The twister also ripped off its roof. But it was just a sign of things to come.

Injured residents

One large tornado smashed into the Douglas Graham Group Home in Sumrall, Mississippi. Seven people suffered injuries at the residence and were subsequently rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, though, no one was significantly hurt. The same could not be said for people in nearby areas.

Traveling 61 miles

In Laurel, Mississippi, a tornado felled electrical transmission towers and stripped a manufacturing plant of its roof. Then the twister progressed through Clarke County, MS, before crossing into Choctaw County, Alabama. The NWS later claimed this tornado’s route was 61-miles in length. But this didn’t mean it was the only Mississippi tornado to cause trouble.

Hitting a church

The northeast Mississippi settlement of Guntown fell victim to another tornado. Terrifying footage of this twister was captured by a Ring doorbell as it tore through the town of approximately 2,000 people. Among the whirlwind’s victims was a church that suffered some damage. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

Early signs

There had been some advance warning given over the tornadoes, of course. The first inkling came on December 12 when the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlined areas that were at risk. These areas included parts of the Ohio River Valley and the Mid-South. But this zone moved southwesterly on December 14. That would be bad news for Fields in Alabama.

Tornados ahead

The SPC then updated its forecast to include the next two days. At this point, it identified that parts of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi would be more likely to be in danger from the coming storm. So Fields — who worked at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and volunteered for the Danville Fire and Rescue Department — was no doubt on high alert for a tornado outbreak.

Accurate prediction

The storms that were taking shape at that time had all the tell-tale signs of producing twisters. And when a vortex tilted on December 16 to create a swirling central eye, the experts were proved right. So on December 16, the SPC issued a number of tornado watch warnings across the region. The first one warned, “Several tornadoes and a couple of intense tornadoes likely.”

Bracing for the storm

“Tornadoes and damaging winds are anticipated, with the peak tornado risk across portions of northern and central Louisiana into western Mississippi,” the first tornado watch stated. And this was only the first of the four put out on December 16. So the area was well and truly braced for a battering.

40 twisters

In fact, there was an onslaught of 40 twisters across Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi on December 16 and 17. The majority of them scored on the lower end of the Enhanced Fujita rating — but a bunch ranked much higher. And the multiple tornadoes left varying degrees of destruction in their wake.

Losing a family

But one of the places worst hit by the tornadoes of late 2019 was Town Creek in Lawrence County, AL. The twister that struck there caused two fatalities, claiming the lives of married couple Keisha LeAnn Cross Godsey and Justin Chase Godsey. They were killed inside their property on County Road 265.

Honoring the couple

The Godseys were remembered by members of their shaken community. In a December 2019 interview with WHNT News 19, Pastor Mitch Hallmark said of the couple, “They were great people... We do a lot of outreach here at the church and they would donate things and help us and come from time to time. Just a good family.”

Heartbreaking loss

Town Creek resident Jimmy Graham also played tribute to the Godseys. He said, “They would help do anything they could for the neighborhood... Take care of their kids, play football and sports and stuff and everything. They’re good people.” Fellow neighbor Robert Odell added, “I feel for the family… it is this close to Christmas... and something like this comes through.”

Waking up to a tragedy

Even the Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey joined the tributes to the late couple. In a statement released in December 2019, she said, “I join the community of Town Creek in grieving the loss of a husband and wife. While most of us slept through the storm, a family is waking up today devastated.”

Offering assistance

Ivey added, “I will be praying for their family and the community, and I offer any assistance from the state that is available as they start the process of rebuilding. I urge everyone to remember those who were affected, whether it be those who have lost family members, those who were injured or those who lost their homes.”

Fighting for his life

No doubt confounding the Town Creek residents’ sense of anguish over the loss of the Godseys was that the couple’s seven-year-old son, Landen, was also left fighting for his life. In fact, the youngster was one of four or five people who were injured by the twister.

Total chaos

In a statement obtained by AccuWeather in December 2019, Lawrence County coroner Scott Norwood described the impact of the tornado on Town Creek. He said, “It was just total chaos... We just had to make do the best we could... but we all interagency worked together and we’re still working together.”

Jason Fields

One of the people working on the front line of Town Creek’s relief efforts was Jason Fields. As a fire captain from nearby Danville, AL, he had attended to his fair share of emergencies. Yet there was something about his experience in dealing with the December 2019 tornadoes that stuck with him.

Searching for survivors

In the aftermath of the freak weather event, Fields was tasked with the grim task of searching for survivors among the rubble. However, he was stopped in his tracks when he came across something poignant, near to where the eye of the storm had hit. It was an open Bible.

Finding a Bible

Describing his discovery in December 2019, Fields told WHNT News 19, “Where I found the Bible, this was ground zero. It was a shock. Really. It’s nothing that I was expecting to see. There were so many things out there. Splinters of lumber to car parts, even large trees.”

Poignant verse

It’s not that unusual for Fields to come across discarded religious books in his line of work, though. As a firefighter, he often finds them in burnt-down buildings. But this Bible was particularly poignant as it was open at a verse that seemed to fit the circumstance it was found in.

Speaking to the event

Fields had found the bible lying open at the New Testament. And the particular page it had landed on restored the firefighter’s belief in God. That’s because it contained a verse that spoke about hope in adverse circumstances — just like the one Town Creek had found itself in following the tornado.

Acts Chapter 15

The verse in question, number 16, came from Acts Chapter 15. It stated, “After this I will return. I will build David’s house again. It has fallen down. I will build again the parts of his house that have been pulled down. I will make his house new.” It’s not hard to see why Fields was so struck by the scenario.

Sharing his find

Fields was so moved by the words he saw in front of him that he decided to snap a photograph and share it on Facebook. In the resulting picture, the holy book lay on the ground with its pages opened. Alongside the emotive image, Fields explained the context in which he’d found the text.

In Fields' words

In Fields’ post from December 2019 he wrote, “Around 24 hours ago, lives were changed in an instant. Our department went to assist with the response in Town Creek. In previous tornado disasters, I have helped recover bodies, sift through debris to recover property, and offered support to those in the worst of times.”

The power of God

Fields continued, “Last night I stumbled upon this New Testament among thousands of pieces of debris. The storm had just destroyed the homes of several families, taken two lives, and critically injured others, but this Bible remained unharmed. Could there be a better reminder to us of the power of God?”

Positive affirmations

Fields’ touching post struck a chord on social media, too, eventually attracting around 1,700 reactions and 1,400 shares. It also received a number of positive comments. And like Field, people felt that the open bible had been a sign of hope at one of Town Creek’s darkest hours.

God's word

Responding to Fields’ photo of the Bible, one Facebook user wrote, “No one or anything else can not destroy GOD’S WORD. Amen and amen.” Another person added, “Thank u so much for sharing this. Through God all things are possible.” And one more simply said, “Wow, that gave me chills!” But that doesn’t conclude our story.

On the Godsey's property

Fields later confirmed that he didn’t touch the Bible in order to respect the people it had belonged to. And in an even more poignant twist, he had found it on the property of Keisha and Justin Godsey — the couple who had lost their lives as a result of the tornado.

Reaffirmed his faith

For the firefighter, finding the bible passage in such circumstances made him feel positive about his decision to become an emergency responder and also brought him closer to God. He later told WHNT News 19, “It reaffirmed my faith.” Explaining what he meant by that, the firefighter added, “It was just a spiritual moment, that’s all you can call it.”

Encouraging others

Initially, though, Fields had doubts over sharing the image of the bible on social media. However, he later decided to do so as he “felt it could offer encouragement to others.” And if the reaction his Facebook post received is anything to go by, it appears that people may just have been buoyed by the small sign of hope found in such tragic circumstances.