Red Cross crews help fill needs of flood victims

By Michelle E. Shaw

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It didn’t take long for the word to spread through a predominantly Spanish-speaking community in Lawrenceville on Sunday.

“Hay comida,” translation: There is food.

Residents of the Countryside Village mobile home park lined up at the Red Cross Disaster Relief vehicle by the dozens to get a hot meal and maybe even the answers to a few questions.

“There are so many questions,” said Abner Cobatzin, a bilingual volunteer from the First Hispanic Church of Atlanta in Tucker. “And because many of the residents who live here do not speak English, they don’t where to go to get help. It is a good thing the Red Cross came to them.”

A cursory glance at homes near the park’s clubhouse gives no indication of the devastation to be found some 200 yards away, but the stench in the air might. Of the park’s 271 homes, 109 were damaged by water, residents say. The water that flooded the community was also tainted with sewage, which is why there is now an odor, they say.

Days after the waters receded, there was still evidence Sweetwater Creek, and a related tributary very close to the park, had traveled far beyond its banks. Mud lines lingered on window sills, car tops and rooftops.

The red-and-white Red Cross truck that brought the food to the community was one of a dozen dispatched Sunday for lunch. At least that many will hit the road for dinner, said Kate Meier, a Red Cross spokeswoman.

By Sunday afternoon, more than 10,000 meals had been distributed to those affected by the flood.

Nearly 400 volunteers and staff from 18 states have converged on Atlanta to assist the local chapter, she said.

An assessment team arrived at Countryside Village early Sunday afternoon. That group will help the Red Cross figure out if more services are needed in the community.

“As long as there is a need, we will continue to go there,” Meier said.

Residents of the mobile home park are working feverishly to clean out their trailers, but the repair process will have to wait, said Sujey Medina, a resident of the community. Many of the men worked in construction, when there was work to be done, so they know how to repair the damage, she said. But until a Gwinnett County inspector comes by to survey the damage, residents have been urged not to waste money on repairs they may have to rip out.

Sunday afternoon’s lunch break seemed to be a welcome distraction for residents still trying to rid their homes of waterlogged items.

Medina said some families at Countryside may not have eaten a full meal in a day or two before Saturday, when the Red Cross first showed up.

“People are doing what they can, even if that means working through the day, not eating, and living out of their cars and trucks,” she said. “So to have them come and give food means so much.”

Medina, her husband and two daughters lost everything when their mobile home was submerged. Though her family is staying with a friend right now, she returns to the park every day to continue cleaning out her own home and to help others. She said the Red Cross is providing one of the most important elements the community is missing right now: nourishment.

“You can sleep in a car, but you can’t eat a car. The food is so important, and we are so grateful.”

If you want to help

To make donations of time, money or blood, contact the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit www.redcross.org.