Red Cross aids flood victims

By Abe Nelson

Published: May 13, 2008

Representatives from the Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross went out and about Tuesday to see if there was anyone in flood areas still in need of help.

They found a few people, said Gary Gilliam, the senior director of operations of the Prince William Chapter. View a slideshow of the floods

“We just went door-to-door and talked to people to make sure they were okay and gave them information on how to clean up safely,” Gilliam said.

The organization focused its efforts on the Yorkshire and Dumfries areas of the county, Gilham said.

Most of the people who were affected covered under their homeowners insurance and had places to stay, Gilliam said.

“We just had a couple of cases that resulted from it for us,” Gilliam said of the canvassing in the Yorkshire area where the water marks on houses indicated that the flood waters reached three feet.

The Red Cross had to help seven or eight families in the Mine Road area of Dumfries on Sunday Monday and Tuesday, Gilliam said.

“Sunday night we actually opened the fire department to evacuate people out and brought them over to the rescue station on Graham Park [Road].We opened an evacuation center there and then placed people in hotels,” he said.

Gilliam said fire and rescue officials told him that Mine Road in Dumfries was under 10 feet of water at one point. 

“When you’re having to rescue people in boats, that is a lot of water,” Gilliam said. “From what people are saying this was pretty severe flooding ... only Agnes is the comparison to it.”

Gilliam thinks the Prince William Chapter has found everyone who needed help.

“Everybody is taken care of from our side,” he said.

Keith Walker can be reached at 703-369-6751.