Texas flooding an ‘intense experience,’ Red Cross volunteer from Macon says

For Linda DeVane, checking on residents after four tornadoes cut through Middle Georgia or working at a Texas shelter following historic flooding is all in a day's work.

The 69-year-old Macon resident started volunteering with the American Red Cross two and a half years ago after retiring from State Bank & Trust Co.’s operations center.

DeVane left for flood-ravaged Houston on April 22, planning to spend up to two weeks helping by working in service centers, making follow-up calls and going door to door. She got back home Wednesday.

The area saw nearly 18 inches of rainfall April 18. Water — 4 feet or more in some places — walloped more than 4,500 homes.

“We were able to help so many people,” she said. “They were in so much need. It was a very intense experience.”

The rain subsided while DeVane was in the Houston area. That allowed hundreds of Red Cross volunteers, with help from FEMA, churches and more, to fan out and help.

The assistance ranged from preparing and serving hot meals to handing out cleaning kits — containing such items as mops, bleach, gloves and masks — as well as other relief supplies.

DeVane spent three days handling intake at flood shelters and doing follow-up calls with those affected.

One day she went door to door seeing if residents needed help, something she’d never done before.

She recalled one community of 10-12 families that lived in a mobile home park that was destroyed by flooding. The families had little to begin with, and they lost everything.

“It was so sad,” she said. “That touched me more than anything.”

But DeVane has always had a servant's heart.

Before starting work with the Red Cross, she volunteered at The Medical Center, Navicent Health, and with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

DeVane, who studied sociology at the University of North Florida, said volunteering has given her an outlet.

“I guess I’m putting it to work,” she said.

While most of her work keeps her in Middle Georgia, DeVane’s time at the Red Cross has taken her across the country. Last summer, she worked in California’s Napa Valley after wildfires ravaged the state.

“We didn’t do any house-to-house calls. We just stayed in the service areas,” she said. “I did take a drive up to some of the areas and it was just horrible. But it was so rewarding to be able to help them.”

In the weeks before she left for Texas, Devane had been busy helping people closer to home, helping residents of Houston, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties after tornadoes touched down.

“Linda is a wonderful volunteer. She has a heart for reaching out to clients in need,” said Connie Hensler, executive director of the American Red Cross of Central Midwest Georgia chapter. “Any time there is a disaster, she’s there.”

Now that DeVane has returned home, she’ll resume her work on the Red Cross’s Disaster Action Team.

And she knows that the call to help could come at any time.

“I just enjoy working with people in need. It’s so rewarding to sit and hear their stories and to be able to ... give them a small assistance to help them along the way.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 11:34 AM with the headline "Texas flooding an ‘intense experience,’ Red Cross volunteer from Macon says."