A Different Kind of Help in Texas

Greg Langen was signed in to the Texas flood relief operation
by fellow Greater Rochester Chapter volunteer
Diana McLaughlin

Editors note--Volunteer Greg Langen of Pittsford has been in Texas, doing Disaster Assessment as part of the flood relief efforts in the Houston area. He shared this story of his experience on Tuesday:

We were driving down a rural road that had just today become accessible and noticed an elderly woman walking aimlessly in a nearby field. She was plodding around in circles for no apparent reason. We stopped and called out to her to see if she needed any help. It turns out she had Alzheimer's Disease and had wandered away from the car where her son had told her to stay while he checked on his house. Her confusion was exacerbated because the flooded area looked so different that she didn't know where she was. We escorted her out of the field and reunited her with her son when he came back out to the road.

I'm not sure whether we saved a life today, but we surely alleviated some suffering.

This was a very rewarding day.

Sign on the side of the road in Fort Bend County, Texas
Photo by: Greg Langen, American Red Cross

Just some of the devastation from the Texas floods
Photo by: Greg Langen, American Red Cross