Cricket Logan has worked for the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, for 21 years as a wastewater management mechanic. Logan is almost always in motion — identifying where the problems are in his assigned section of the plant that cleans St. Pete’s water, removing debris from pipes using high-pressure fluids, and racing to weld makeshift replacements while figuring out the best possible plans for repairs. “Most of it is straightforward mechanical work,” he said.

Logan’s facility is the only wastewater treatment plant in the city that handles solids. If it goes down, the city’s sewage pipes back up. Logan said it “really doesn’t take near as long as you think” before that sewage begins spilling out into homes and streets.

That’s why, every storm season, Logan and his colleagues are on call before, during, and after hurricanes, while most other residents are hunkered down. Come June, Logan knows he needs to stash about a week’s worth of food and clothes in his locker in preparation. “It’s part of my job,” said Logan, “we’re considered ‘emergency essential.’”

Logan's bio originally published by Grist here.