On April 18, Northeast Houston,Texas was deluged by 17 inches of rain within 24 hours, flooding 1,000 homes and leaving seven dead.

On May 5, Dawn Blake of Newcastle flew to Texas as one of seven Maine Red Cross volunteers to help in recovery efforts.

In a phone interview May 10, Blake said she had been working long days helping victims find assistance so they can return to their normal lives.

Blake said that they were closing the last of 15 shelters that had housed as many as 1,200 people who required water rescues.

The flood waters have receded but many houses have suffered severe damage, she said.

“There is a lot of the damage you can’t see on the outside,” said Blake.

Many houses have extensive mold inside and damaged electrical systems, she said.

Blake splits time referring victims to church charities, Goodwill,  Salvation Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and making field evaluations.

“We try to help as many people as we can,” she said.

Blake’s toughest day was when her team visited the home of an elderly resident.

“There was mold everywhere. I was angry,” Blake said. After facing some obstacles, “ultimately we were able to help this person.” Her team was given high praise for its efforts.

Blake said she was able to accept the Red Cross assignment because she was between jobs. Her employer, Merrymeeting Behavior Health Associates of  Brunswick, had recently closed its doors. When she returns on May 19 she will be employed by Anglez Behavioral Health Services in Winthrop. 

Blake is a certified Community Mental Health Worker and is working toward a masters degree in social work at the University of New England.

She said she would be willing to take additional volunteer tours with the Red Cross if her work schedule permits. Volunteers are provided air flights, hotel accommodations (when available) and meals.

Justin Burkhardt, Red Cross Director of Communications and Government Relations in Portland, said that the Red Cross is able to act quickly in case of disasters because a network of shelters is already prearranged locally and a national list of volunteers is established and ready to be activated upon request.

“We are following what is already planned,” said Burkhardt.

According to Burkhardt, since the beginning of rescue efforts in Houston, the Red Cross opened 15 shelters, helping to provide more than 1,600 overnight stays.

It distributed more than 232,800 relief items; such as rakes, shovels, work gloves and comfort kits. It served more than 108,100 meals and snacks, provided more than 5,200 health and mental health contacts and opened nearly 3,600 cases for individuals and families in need.

“Red Cross disaster workers continue to support service recovery sites and distribute relief items ...,” he said. “Red Cross caseworkers are helping people plan their next steps and connect to available resources to support their recovery, including transportation options because many cars were destroyed in the deluge.

“Disaster mental health workers are paying particularly close attention to disaster fatigue, a phenomenon that occurs when an individual, family or community is faced with a string of crises,” he said.

“American Red Cross has mounted large responses to these events, but haven’t raised anywhere near the millions that we are spending to address people’s needs. As of May 2, we estimate that we will spend between $9.3 million and $13.3 million helping Texans affected by spring floods, tornadoes and storms,” said Burkhardt.

 To help, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word TXFLOODS to 90999 to make a $10 donation, Burkhardt said.