Flood Victims in Anderson Help Others While Rebuilding

When your home fills with three feet of floodwater, most people focus on their own recovery. Tracy and Jeremiah Walters did the opposite.

The Anderson couple's house on East 17th Street sustained major flood damage earlier this month. While dealing with the destruction, they coordinated relief efforts for over 1,500 families across multiple Indiana counties through their organization, Turn Away No Longer.

"For somebody that gives to everyone else, it's really hard to receive," Tracy admitted. More than 150 volunteers helped distribute cleaning supplies, water, and essentials to flood victims throughout the region.

Kim Rogers-Hatfield faced a similar situation. The director of community resources for Heart of Indiana United Way spent 15 years helping communities prepare for disasters. Then disaster came to her.

Floodwater filled her basement and first floor, collapsing part of a basement wall. Instead of panicking, she applied everything she'd learned from years of disaster response to her own crisis.

This time, help came from unexpected places. The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team traveled all the way from Alabama to tear out her damaged drywall and flooring. Volunteers worked alongside the International Disaster Emergency Service to clear debris and restore damaged homes.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story remarkable isn't just the flooding or the volunteers who showed up. It's watching people who've dedicated their lives to helping others finally accept help themselves.

Tracy and Jeremiah could have stopped their relief work when their own home flooded. Kim could have focused solely on her family's recovery. Instead, they kept serving while their own walls were still wet.

"It touches your heart to know that people can stop their lives to help others," Jeremiah said, watching strangers restore his home.

Mayor Thomas Broderick reported that at least 600 homes were severely impacted by the flooding. Remarkably, no one was killed or seriously injured.

Both the Walters family and Rogers-Hatfield applied for FEMA relief to help cover reconstruction costs as they work toward moving back into their homes.

The helpers became the helped, proving that communities built on service take care of their own when disaster strikes.