August 23, 1993

THE SMALLEST RED CROSS VEHICLE

It had been an interesting week being in the flood zone along the Mississippi River in Iowa. I had seen a lot of damage to people's properties but I've seen a lot of hope in people's eyes. There was a willingness to rebuild.

I had been thinking about going as far north as Dubuque, Iowa before heading eastward across the Mississippi River but I might turn eastward sooner because the farther north I'd go the less flood water to be seen and dealt with. A lot of Red Cross centers were in the process of being closed down to be moved to another area or closed for good. Also, I had seen as many Red Cross vehicles out on the road the past couple of days.

About five miles from Fort Madison, I got stopped by a couple of guys in a Red Cross Van. They asked me what I was doing and I told them that I'd been helping out. I was told that this was great and they wondered if I could let them take my picture. I said yes and one of the guy's took one of the magnetic signs off the van so that I could hold it. They told me that now I had the distinction of having one of the smallest Red Cross emergency relief vehicles. Before they left, I was surprised with five dollars and a Red Cross relief t-shirt to go along with the one that I was given by the Salvation Army.