Matthew Hardage will be 14 years old next month and is on the fast track to become one of the youngest Eagle Scouts in Georgia. Home-schooled by his mom, Pamela, he's big brother to Charlie, who is 11 and has Down Syndrome, Harrison, 8, and little sister Audrey, 4.

Despite rain Monday morning, Matthew's parents ran errands. Dad, Allen, kept a doctor's appointment in the Stilesboro-Mars Hill area in west Cobb while his eldest son kept an eye on things at the family's modest, raised ranch in the Mill Creek Station neighborhood, just over the line in the Crossroads area of Paulding.

As rain fell for the umpteenth day in a row, the younger Hardages and their two dogs watched TV in the downstairs "man cave," Charlie and Harrison's shared room. Also on that garage level is the family's classroom, which housed books, curriculum and school supplies, as well as Hardage's home-based office.

At 9:30 a.m., Matthew checked in with his dad and reported the garage was bone dry. It had not yet registered for him or for most of us, that an extraordinary event was unfolding around the metro Atlanta area.

But Matthew, the responsible first child, always nurturing of his special needs brother, a capable camper and dedicated Scout, was watchful.

Within minutes, from the upstairs window of his room, he saw floodwaters rushing down the slightly sloping driveway towards the house. His mom Pamela says he heard the force of it crash into the garage doors, completely pushing them off their tracks and mobilizing him to rush downstairs. He herded the kids and dogs to safety atop the upstairs kitchen table, dialing his dad and then 911.

As 4-and-a-half feet of water poured into the Hardage's first floor in just over a minute, all that remained visible of a pickup in the driveway was the top two inches. Allen, trying to get home, remained stuck in west Cobb traffic.

And as the muddy flow licked at the upstairs level, Matthew held on with the 911 operator, calming his siblings until help arrived.

Matthew's dad told me Saturday, as friends from Scout Troop 412 and from Acworth's Summit Baptist Church helped with the daunting cleanup (amidst more pouring rain) how grateful he is that his son had the foresight to recognize danger and move swiftly. He believes scoutmasters Greg French, Sam Wayne and the others from Troop 412 helped nurture the right instincts in his son.

"Pamela and I also try to instill strong Christian values such as self reliance, personal responsibility and, most of all, to look out for others," he added.

Meanwhile, the Hardage's are just one among hundreds of local families who've lost possessions, including computers, home schooling materials and almost everything that belonged to their two younger sons. They emphasize how blessed they've been, however. Pamela shudders at the thought the water might've come in the middle of the night, a scenario that proved so tragic for other families.

Let us not forget: Now is the time to assist neighbors in need. Even small things can be so helpful.

Lbarmstrong3378@comcast.net