The Most Popular Man in Houston

When the power went off and the cold came and the pipes burst in Texas in February, one man found himself in demand in ways he’d never experienced before: the local plumber. “My hero!” Lora Ratcliff squealed when Troy Watts arrived at her house to fix the broken pipes that had left her without water for days. Watts, 49, is used to rescuing people in their dankest moments. But the scale of the Texas disaster transformed him into something more than just a hired wrench. “Most of what I do is repairing plumbing stuff, but there’s a lot of me being their shoulder to cry on,” he says. “I try not to get emotionally involved. I can’t let them see me like that. I’m there to help them feel better. That’s why I love my job—i’m helping people. There’s a lot of relief in just taking a shower in your own home.”