9781422285558

10 Freshwater Resources

Flooded San Joaquin River delta in northern California, in 2009.

Butler, who lived at the R.C. Mobile Park in Redwood City near San Francisco, watched as the rain fell and the floodwaters raged. Many of his neighbors decided to evacuate. Some left for higher ground, while others stayed with family, friends, or sought help from the Red Cross. Butler wasn’t budging, though. He had a dog to take care of. Instead of hightailing it out of there, he sealed the heating vents and other openings in his house with duct tape. The rain continued to fall, and the floodwaters continued to rise. The water seeped through the tape and came through the walls of Butler’s house. When the rains finally ended, Butler’s house was completely flooded, “but I can deal with it,” he told a reporter. “I’m not going to leave the dog. She has separation anxiety. She’s all I got.”