WOODLAND, Maine — Bill Thomas, 68, of Woodland is currently in Texas helping out victims of Tropical Storm Harvey.
Thomas arrived in Texas this weekend after leaving Maine with Corina Hamlin, 56, of Brownville, on Aug. 29.
“We spent the past couple days taking out water supplies,” Thomas said on Monday from Beaumont, Texas, adding that Tuesday would be spent on the feeding unit helping any malnourished Texans in the area.
“The water is still high, and I’ve seen some flooding,” Thomas said, “but people seem to be getting along OK.”
Thomas has been with the Red Cross for over a decade, and joined shortly after retiring from his job as a steam engineer at McCain Foods in Easton.
For about four days, Thomas and Hamlin took turns driving an emergency response vehicle from Maine to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which Hamlin said is a rendezvous point for Red Cross volunteers across the country helping those affected by Harvey.
“Today we’re going house to house to see what people need,” Thomas said on Tuesday. “We’re delivering water and ready to eat meals.”
Thomas added that the portable kitchen in Beaumont was shut down on Tuesday morning due to issues obtaining an adequate amount of diesel for power.
According to Thomas, the Red Cross is being assisted by people from Mexico and Hawaii, along with members of the military.
After spending about three days in Texas, Thomas said he has “no complaints” about the experience.
“There’s a great group of people here,” Thomas said. “Spirits are up and everything’s going well.”
Thomas said a highlight of the trip was visiting a Texas woman and holding her baby.
“Holding that little one made the whole trip worth it,” Thomas said.
Ann Kim, director of external communications for the American Red Cross in Maine, said on Sept. 5 that, while deployed volunteers are sent out for a couple weeks and brought back so another volunteer can take their place, she has heard that the Red Cross could be dealing with the Harvey aftermath for months.
“Due to the scope of this disaster,” Kim said, “we expect to be there for months. I’ve heard that it could be until the holiday season. However that may change as we get a better sense of the damage.”
Kim said that the Red Cross also is closely monitoring Hurricane Irma, which, according to CNN, has strengthened into a Category 5 storm and will likely hit Puerto Rico by Wednesday and move to the United States by the end of the week. With the storm increasingly likely to strike Florida, that state’s Gov. Rick Scott already has declared a state of emergency in preparation.
Thomas said that while Texas could “probably use a few more (emergency response) vehicles,” the Red Cross in Baton Rouge is likely keeping a few in reserve in preparation for Hurricane Irma.
Meanwhile, residents of Texas and Louisiana are still reeling from the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25 and dumped several feet of rain, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, according to the Reuters news agency. Harvey has killed an estimated 50 people and displaced more than 1 million others.
Mainers wishing to help can text the word “harvey” to 90999 to make a $10 donation, or contribute via www.redcross.org.
Mainers hoping to go to Texas to help can visit www.redcross.org/local/maine and click the volunteer link on the left-hand sidebar. Aroostook Red Cross Community Manager Mary Green said on Aug. 30 that anyone hoping to help should do so with a philanthropic organization such as the Red Cross.
“There’s a safety issue, and people who go down without being associated with an organization risk putting their lives in danger,” Green said. “If they’re with the Red Cross, they’ll be put into safe locations.”
