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Gene Kennedy reportingVolunteers from Utah are heading to the Midwest to help flood victims.
Many communities are struggling to stay above water as another round of violent storms heads their way. Others have already lost everything.
A sandbagged levee is still keeping the Cedar River out of downtown Cedar Falls, Iowa. But with more rain on the way officials are asking for extra volunteer sandbaggers today.
In Des Moines, water from a flooded lake continues to pour into the city. Officials lowered a six-foot barrier on top of the Saylorville Lake's emergency spillway Tuesday night. The move doubled the amount of water that's pouring over the spillway and finding its way into the city.
In other communities, the water has already won the fight, washing away neighborhoods and pushing thousands to higher ground.
Indiana and Wisconsin are so strapped for volunteers that the Red Cross is calling on Utah volunteers to help these flood victims. For the Utah Red Cross, this is the first major relief effort since the earthquake in Wells, Nev. Nationally, it's the largest mobilization effort since the California wildfires.
At the Salt Lake City chapter for the Red Cross volunteers work the computers and phones. Neva Baker, with the Salt Lake Red Cross says, "We need 50 volunteers from the western region."
That includes not only Utah, but several neighboring states.
Salt Lake City volunteer Jo Hatch has answered the call. "That's how it works here," Hatch said. "You get a call when there's a need, and you drop everything and go."
Hatch will be going to Indianapolis tonight, then to the disaster zones in southern Indiana. In Columbus, floods have destroyed 1,500 homes and killed three people. Jo Hatch's job will be to manage the relief efforts. "We basically take care of all the volunteers who are coming there," Hatch said. "There has to be a way to get all the paperwork there, room and lodging."
Volunteer Keith Keyser said, "That's part of it, but then the other part is actually working directly with the clients, helping identifying some of their needs, what they lost, what they need for immediate housing."
The Utah Red Cross is looking for at least half a dozen volunteers, but they must be already trained.
For Utahns who can not reach their loved ones in the Midwest, you can log onto www.redcross.org.
You will find a list of those who are doing just fine, victims who have made contact with the Red Cross.
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com
