It started out a beautiful late summer weekend in Houston. Clear skies and a cooling nighttime breeze - they belied what lay ahead. Those who were fully aware of what awaited them knew this was just the calm before the storm. Hurricane Harvey was only two days earlier upgraded from a Tropical Storm to a now raging Category 4 Hurricane. As the storm gathered steam in the Gulf of Mexico, the residents of southeast Texas prepped for what was predicted to be a 500-year deluge of wind and water. Some - if lucky enough to find any gas left to fill their cars -  packed up and evacuated to Dallas or Austin, where they could safely ride out the storm with friends or family. Others stocked up on water and non-perishables to prepare for the worst-case scenario of losing access to power and water for extended periods of time. In either case, it was well understood - Mother Nature was not to be taken lightly.