A retired couple from the Des Moines area leaves tomorrow to join other Iowans in south Florida — but it’s far from a vacation trip. Dewey and Lois McMillan are Red Cross disaster volunteers. The 68-year-old Urbandale residents are headed for Miami where 93-thousand homes were damaged by recent flooding. Two people died after 18-inches of rain fell in two days. Dewey McMillan says they’ll meet one-on-one with families to help them rebuild their lives. This is the fifth disaster the McMillans have worked, including a hurricane, a massive hailstorm and other floods.Six other Red Cross volunteers from Iowa are already assigned to the south Florida flooding — three from Cedar Rapids and one each from Waterloo, Dubuque and Fort Dodge. McMillan says he and his wife enjoy reaching out to others through the relief agency.Parts of south Florida are still under six feet of water. McMillan says he made his living helping Iowans repair their homes and lives after fires and other disasters. Now, he says volunteering is his way to pay others back. The McMillans may be gone three weeks.
Iowa's Radio News Network
