We sometimes forget about the Red Cross. They’ve taken on a diminished presence in Pine Bluff, but even at that, they just don’t come to mind very often.
Until 15 or 16 inches of rain falls. Then there they were, set up and ready to help, down in Gould this week.
Asked how they picked that town for a spot, Mike Ingram, a senior disaster program manager, said that when all that rain fell, that was the “trigger” for the agency. No doubt.
Ingram was standing in the gym at the Marzell Missionary Baptist Church in Gould, where Pastor Lamar Brooks has been supportive and allowed the Red Cross to set up shop there.
Ingram had people all around Gould and Dumas, two places hard hit by the flooding. The Red Cross crews, mostly volunteers, had gone out in teams of twos and were talking to residents and seeing what kind of damage they had in their homes.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The information from the teams was just coming in, so Ingram couldn’t put too fine a pencil to the question of how many folks were suffering and to what extent. But that’s what they are out there assessing.
Once that information is known, Ingram said the agency would be able to bring in the appropriate supplies to help the families. Sometimes that just means they will hand these people the tools they need to get their homes back in order: gloves, brooms, mops, bleach, shovels. To get that equipment out to the families, the assessment teams will turn into delivery teams, he said.
And of course they were prepared at the church in case the gym was needed as a shelter. The cots were all out and blankets were at the ready. So far, no one had come in. But that, of course, doesn’t mean there isn’t a need out there. And even if people were not spending the night at the shelter, they were coming by for other assistance.
As Ingram put it, “if someone comes in here and says they haven’t eaten, we will get them some food.”
The agency also will provide water and snacks and, if necessary, clothing.
On Thursday, there was a boil order in Gould, because the electricity had gone off for a few hours and the city’s water treatment system had gone off with the lights. So sometimes all the residents needed was some water.
At other times, the need is greater. Ingram said one family’s home was built in a low spot and close to the railroad tracks near Gould. Anytime a train went by, it plowed through the low water, pushing that water into the home. Obviously, those residents are going to need some additional help.
It’s comforting to know the Red Cross is on the scene. When something tragic happens, the initial reaction is along the lines of wow, someone needs to help those folks. And likely before we get that thought out, the Red Cross is making plans to do just that. All in all, we sleep a little better knowing such an agency exists, and when all else fails, it will respond.