He filled a long pipe with water in his front yard, and he added extra pipes until his whole house was enclosed. Then flood water started to surge into the neighborhood. Other houses were damaged, but at his home, the gallons of water inside the pipes made them extremely heavy, too heavy for the water to break through. The flood struck the barrier and moved around it instead. When it finally ended, nearby houses were ruined, but his home stayed dry, protected by water holding back water.