Fishman writes from Galveston, Texas, 10 days after 2008’s Hurricane Ike. The electricity and water are out. The hurricane has flooded the city’s water pump and sewage machines. Workers struggle to return water service. Temporary pumping delivers non-potable water.

Fishman washes his hands in the water after visiting a wastewater treatment tank. He writes, “It isn’t often […] that you get to see what a modern American city with no routine water service feels like” (90).

People often get by without electricity. However, water outages are less common: “Water is basic. It may be the most fundamental need beyond air, the one thing without which we cannot make it through a single day” (90).

Unlike flashlights or camp stoves, people often do not have backups for water. An average American uses 99 gallons of water per day, equivalent to 750 bottles of water. Fishman writes that safe water and sewage water are both necessary yet mysterious.

Hurricane Ike arrived during national financial issues. While the storm was large, it did not receive as much media attention as other hurricanes. Eric Wilson was director of utilities in Galveston at the time of the hurricane. City staff prepared for the hurricane, fueling vehicles and shutting off some water pipes.