The American Red Cross got word that a community of about 50 persons in Horseshoe Bend Estates near Liberty, Texas, were stranded by flood waters and they were running out of supplies. Red Cross volunteers with the East Texas Flooding Disaster got busy and packed a truck full of water, food and cleanup supplies. A forklift and many strong arms worked together with one goal: beat the incoming storms and get supplies to those in need.

The gloomy skies added urgency to the task, because more rain and wind were on the way. The already stressed communities in the area were going to be tested again. And they knew it. Emergency managers, public safety leadership, American Red Crossers and their community and government partners were all working together to continue to serve those affected by last week’s storms and prepare for the ones that were looming, due to hit that afternoon, May 16.

The Red Cross truck was loaded, and volunteers set off for a 90-minute drive to a rural area in Liberty County. The drive took them over rushing creeks and washes, and a very swollen Trinity River. The roads were clear but downed trees and flood debris along the way was evidence of a rough week of weather.

Don Wilkerson of Romayor, near Horseshoe Bend Estates, met the Red Cross truck at a nearby restaurant. The waters had receded just enough for him and many of his neighbors to drive out. His family had four and a half feet of water in their home and had lost three vehicles to the storms. “And we’re fixin’ to go get flooded again,” he said. “Many of us are sleeping in our vehicles or wherever we can find a dry spot.”

Neighbors told similar stories. But they smiled as they shook hands, hugged and said, “We’re going to be all right.”

Wilkerson said “Many of the residents in these smaller communities bought these homes several years ago and retired here. Now they are elderly and can’t deal with heavy cleanup and bringing in supplies. We’re trying to take care of them as well as our own families. Neighbors working hard together—it’s what this community is all about.”

His family has been in the area since 1976, and he works as a handyman. “I’ve experienced nine floods, but this is the worst,” he said.

Wilkerson said some of his neighbors have hung their motorcycles from trees to keep them dry, and others have moved their possessions to elevated homes in the area.

“We’re doing whatever it takes,” he said, as he helped Red Cross volunteers load canned water, rakes, shovels, tarps and cases of bleach into a pickup truck. The rain had started to fall, the skies had darkened, and the already fast pace quickened. Everybody worked with an unspoken urgency but there was plenty of time for thankyous and smiles and jokes and hugs. There was a kindness that could be felt among the Red Crossers and the community members who had known one another for all of 15 minutes.

The Red Cross truck was unloaded just in time to head back to the warehouse in Conroe, before roads and bridges over the Trinity River were closed again. Before he departed the muddy parking lot, Wilkerson checked with his neighbors who had driven to the distribution site, to be sure they had what they needed. He knew them all by name and asked about their family members. One needed a bottle of bleach “Just one,” she insisted. “I want to be sure others have what they need, too.”

Wilkerson’s pickup truck was loaded with supplies and tarped for safety, then he shouted out a final “thank you, Red Cross” and led his neighbors through the rain back to their homes. A late-night text from one of the Horseshoe Bend Estates residents to a Red Cross volunteer said they had “We got a lot of supplies to people but had to leave the area for our safety, due to high winds, water and golf ball-sized hail. I sat in my truck for an hour. “And she added a heart emoji.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/ct or visit us on Twitter at @CTRedCross.