Red Cross helps flood victims

People near the Northwest Freeway and Highway 6 are getting some relief.

"This whole place here was just one pond of water. It looked like we were on an island," said affected resident Gerald Hart.

If you drive through the Rinwood community in northwest Houston, you will see piles of carpet, wood, insulation and other belongings ruined by flood water.

On Saturday, residents also saw a beacon of hope in the form of a Red Cross relief truck. Volunteers brought clean-up supplies into storm-battered neighborhoods like this one.

"I've been here for 30 years and this is the first time I've gotten water in the house… ever," said Hart.

Hart said it only took a few inches to ruin almost everything that was touching his floor.

"Just enough to saturate the carpet and flood everything, just to make a mess of everything. The furniture the base, get everything wet," said Hart.

After the storm, the Red Cross drove through some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods looking for people who might need help cleaning up. They said they didn't have to look far.

"People had water up to two and three feet in some places in their homes, a lot of them one to two inches. That's difficult to get out of a house," said Red Cross volunteer Chip Weisert.

The Red Cross estimates at least 200 homes in this area were flooded. Many like Hart are still recovering from Hurricane Ike.

"A lot of other folks in the neighborhood got it worse. We had a little roof damage and storm doors, stuff like that," said Hart.

This damage is just more work to be done and while a free clean up kit may not seem like much, when you're facing a project this big he said every little bit helps.

The American Red Cross said it could use donations to help the flood victims. The number you can call is 1-800-RED-CROSS.