Rockford latest stop for mobile relief corps

<font size="2">

<p align="justify">The same people who offered shelter to Hurricane Katrina victims, food to Kosovar refugees and solace to families after Sept. 11, 2001, have also been a quiet but powerful force behind the Rock River Valley's flood relief efforts.

<p align="justify">There are about 82 of them, a team of out-of-town volunteers who have worked alongside local Red Cross workers for more than a week. They poured into the city almost as fast as the Aug. 7 floodwaters.

<p align="justify">They've come from Iowa, Louisiana, Wisconsin and other states, sent here by mandate but eager to help a community foreign to most of them. Out-of-state volunteers, experienced and trained to handle the emotional and physical fallout of disaster, make up the majority of about 127 Red Cross workers who are still pitching in to assess damage and aid displaced families. Some of them arrived just hours after local leaders requested support, and others started working earlier this week.

<p align="justify">They've pitched in during forest fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, ice storms and hurricanes, and they say Rockford's floods are no less grave. These out-of-town volunteers say they share a sense of service and the time to work long hours paid only through gratitude. And while they're here, they're gearing up for other catastrophes in other states.

<p align="justify">"We've got people from all over the country here," volunteer J.K. Strong said. "We're fathers, we're mothers, we're grandparents, we're sons and daughters. We're really a true cross section of America."

<p align="justify">Strong, 59, left his home near Madison, Wis., just hours after Rockford's floods were deemed a disaster. For Strong, it was a familiar scene. He was here during the 2006 Labor Day deluge. He's seen some of the same sights and faces this week, which, he said, only heightens his longing to help.

<p align="justify">"I'm one of those who was raised to be a contributing member of society," said Strong, a former police officer. Then again, he also feels a personal tie to Rockford volunteers, who helped his family after tornadoes ripped through their neighborhood in 2005. "All of a sudden, I was a client," said Strong, who said he's lent a hand in at least 50 natural disasters. He's also seen countless "local disasters," like house fires and floods. Strong estimates he's clocked thousands of hours of service in more than 11 years of volunteering.

<p align="justify">This week, he's been helping lead Red Cross volunteers rather than working face-to-face with clients. Still, he said Rockford's flood relief efforts hold a place in his heart and mind equal to his volunteer work in other communities.

<p align="justify">"All disasters are the same," he said. "A disaster is a disaster is a disaster. If it's your home, whether it's a single-family fire or whether it's (Hurricane) Katrina, it's the worst thing that has happened in your life."

<p align="justify">Like Strong, Catherine Basten said her volunteerism has always been driven by a desire to help others, the same way others have helped her. That desire has led her into the aftermaths of back-to-back hurricanes, massive storms and into Rockford, where she's interviewing flood victims and assessing damage.

<p align="justify">Basten, 56, of Dubuque, Iowa, said she was eager to help when she learned she was coming here; she's a Chicago native who has lived in Galena and would never let a "neighbor" down, she said.

<p align="justify">"This is our neighbor, this is a part of us," Basten said. "This is close to home. We should be helping each other."

<p align="justify">Basten said her job as a watercolor artist gives her plenty of time to pitch in with the Red Cross, and she does so often. She's been a volunteer since 1999.

<p align="justify">Then there's Joni Eaton, of New Orleans, who saw Hurricane Katrina firsthand. She's been working as a volunteer for 37 years because "it just feels good to be able to help," she said.

<p align="justify">Eaton, 57, assisted families of missing 9/11 victims, sought food and lodging for Katrina victims, secured shelter for San Bernardino, Calif., residents whose homes burned in wildfires, and came to the aid of Oklahoma ice storm victims, among other disasters. So where does Rockford rank?

<p align="justify">"It's not a small disaster," Eaton said. "We don't look at comparisons. You feel the reward of being able to help people no matter what operation you are on."

Staff writer Sadie Gurman can be reached at 815-987-1389 or at sgurman@rrstar.com.</font>