In a town inundated by flood water, one house remained dry

A Tennessee home is surrounded by floodwaters on April 8. It has a levee system that helped protect it from flooding during storms earlier this month. (Randy Moore /Storyful) By Ruby Mellen and Ian Livingston

As major flooding inundated western Tennessee last week, one family was prepared — buoyed by techniques that have kept their house safe from river surges for decades.

Tucker Humphrey and his brother Justin, both farmers in Bogota, Tennessee, used an excavator to build a levee that protected their family’s home as a catastrophic storm ripped through the middle of the country earlier this month. At least 29 people were killed across seven states and some communities — including Bogota — saw massive flooding.