CHAMPAIGN — Sam Mays’ hometown of Missouri City, Texas, lies approximately 19 miles southwest of Houston and less than 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.
Growing up in that area means you prepare for situations like Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent flooding that has devastated the greater Houston area in the past few days.
Mays experienced at least a similar situation before since he lived in the area in 2005 when Hurricane Rita made landfall at the Texas-Louisiana border rather than impacting the Houston area head-on as expected.
Still, Mays was on the phone immediately with his family when the storm hit late last week.