When Zachary Dearing sought refuge from Hurricane Harvey, he didn’t expect to be managing a storm shelter. He and a small band of volunteers kept others calm, dealt with leaks, and saved lives. None had leadership or emergency training.

What enabled Zachary, a writer and actor, to rise to leadership when others had not? How did the group succeed?

This ethnographic case study will dig past the obvious to reveal the deeper actions and motivations of Zachary and others at the shelter.