He Didn’t Want to Evacuate
Wagner didn’t like the idea of sitting inside an evacuation center until the storms passed and the waters receded for a very good reason. If he did this, he would likely come home and have to deal with some intense property damage. Flooding can not only cause all of your belongings to get wet, which is a disaster for electronics and papers, but floods can also cause structures to fall apart completely, leaving nothing but the foundation of a home left standing. He would rather do everything he could to keep his home and property safe instead of abandoning it.