One week ago, very early on Wednesday morning, Jesse Shaffer, a shrimp trawler, and his son Jesse Shaffer Jr. were taking turns keeping watch on the levee that separates their neighborhood from the Gulf of Mexico as the floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac reached their peak. Shortly after midnight the storm surged over the wall several miles south and sent a deluge into the streets. Residents of Braithwaite Parish scurried to their attics and rooftops, but with the high wind and the pitch black conditions, official rescue crews were many hours away.