Angie Gallas is connecting with strangers, as she distributes food and clothing to the victims of the flood-ravaged Cedar Rapids community in Iowa.
“It?s pretty bad. It?s kind of like you emptied all the contents of your house, poured it out and wet it,” said the Laurel native.
“The lines of people waiting to see the Red Cross are so long.”
For more than a week, Gallashas been on her first national disaster trip as a volunteer with the Maryland chapter of American Red Cross Central Maryland.
“There?s a lot of thinking-on-your-feet. You?re always assessing and evaluating,” she said of her work with several volunteers who have been dispatched to Red Cross service delivery sites to help the flood victims.
“You?re a listening ear for them.”
In mid-June, almost 4,000 houses in Iowa were evacuated after the Cedar River overflowed its banks after several days of heavy rain, and the cleanup persists from the havoc wreaked by the flooding as well as tornadoes, according to Iowa emergency officials.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has declared 58 of Iowa?s 99 counties as state disaster areas.
Gallas said she has met people from throughout the country, including retired military and government workers, during her stay at a University of Northern Iowa dorm.
“You?re sharing rooms with people you?ve never met before in your life,” she said.
Gallas is not the Howard resident helping in the Midwest.
Wen Pan, of Ellicott City, has been in Cedar Rapids as an emergency response vehicle driver but could not be reached for comment.
Preparing for disaster
Red Cross volunteers spend anywhere from a week to three weeks helping disaster victims outside the area, said Doug Lent, a public affairs associate with the Red Cross, who recently returned from a week in Iowa.
A special Red Cross certification is required for volunteers who travel to a national disaster site, where they are trained on the specific site and residents? needs.
“It can be anything from financial help to getting food,” Lent said.
Gallas uses similar skills as a member of Howard County?s disaster action team, which goes to house or apartment fires and works with victims to ascertain their needs.
“It?s great to come here and see how a national disaster site operates,” said Gallas, who has committed to serving three weeks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
