Phoenix-area volunteers head to flooded South for disaster recovery
A pair of volunteer relief workers from metro Phoenix have signed on to help with disaster recovery efforts in the South, where heavy rains have overwhelmed towns along the lower Mississippi River.
Yazoo River waters almost submerges this stop sign in the Chickasaw subdivision of Vicksburg, Miss., Friday, March 1, 2019. Many Southern communities could face weeks of flooding, along with other disruptions, as recent rains have sent many streams and rivers over their banks. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
PHOENIX – A pair of volunteer relief workers from metro Phoenix have signed on to help with disaster recovery efforts in the South, where heavy rains have overwhelmed towns along the lower Mississippi River.
American Red Cross of Phoenix said that Bill Hager and Ben Montgomery were heading to northeast Mississippi. They left Tuesday morning.
Hager, from Sun City West, was assigned to be a caseworker in Tupelo, Mississippi. He’ll be gathering information from the storm victims that could lead to financial aid and helping them find shelter.
“They have no place to stay,” Hager told KTAR News 92.3 FM of thousands of residents in the region.
“We can point them in the right direction of other agencies that work with us that can help them out,” he said.
He expected to be gone two weeks.
Hager worked with the disaster relief agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, in 2017.
“I really enjoy seeing the smiles when we give them whatever they need,” he said.
Many southern communities could face weeks of flooding, along with other disruptions, as recent rains have sent many streams over their banks.
Last week in one Mississippi Delta hamlet, the mayor said water had cut off all but one road into the town and forced some residents to flee.
Neighboring state Alabama has endured tornadoes and flooding that left 28 dead and 90 injured.
The Red Cross deployed another Phoenix area man, Paul Olsen, to the state on Wednesday to work as a spiritual care volunteer, providing emotional support and comfort to the families affected.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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