The Bridge They Built Through the Floodwaters

In June 2016, the Brazos River in Texas swelled beyond anything residents of Simonton had seen in over a century. Floodwaters swallowed roads, turned neighborhoods into lakes, and cut off entire communities from safety. Families climbed onto rooftops and waited. But a group of volunteers from nearby Rosenberg didn't wait for the waters to recede. They hauled lumber, tools, and pontoons through chest-deep currents and built a makeshift floating bridge — not over the flood, but straight through it.…