Late summer had felt apocalyptic.

Raging wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, a deadly earthquake in Mexico, catastrophic floods in South Asia — and hurricanes with innocuous names lashing Texas, the Caribbean, and Florida.

But in the face of all of this destruction and despair there were flashes of hope and bravery. Scenes of rescuers hard at work: pulling flood victims into boats and helicopters, providing medical treatment, and bringing supplies to emergency shelters.

KQED’s Alex Emslie embedded with rescuers from California as they searched flooded areas in Texas after Hurricane Harvey. He met men and women who dropped everything to head across the country and into the flood.