Deputy faces flood of trouble in Harvey's wake

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Debby Nolen's living room now sits on her lawn after Harvey's fury sent her neighborhood under water.

"We had right at three feet," Nolen said.

While the water rose in her home, "I was at work. I was working," Nolen said, with a grin.

Nolen is a deputy for the Harris County Sheriff's Office. While her home was flooding, she went to work.

"My captain's like, 'You don't even need to be here.' Like I told him, 'I have to,'" said Nolen.

As the wrath of Harvey continued for days, Nolen stayed the course. She moved everything she could into the second story of her home and continued to live there.

All the while, she continued working 12 hour shifts for the sheriff's office.

To get to work, she got a ride on one of the department's high water rescue vehicles.

"Wade out and get in, and wade out and come home after a twelve hour shift," said Nolen.

While she was protecting the streets from looter and thieves in evacuated areas, someone stole her refrigerator from her yard. She said someone even walked in her house, attempted to steal from her, while she was there. Meanwhile she continues to wait for FEMA's assistance.

As she goes through the cleanup process herself, she's grateful she was able to help others along the way.

"It's what we do. Nobody does this job for any other reason than to give back for public service and to make this world a better place," said Nolen.

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