The Iowa chapter of the American Red Cross is closing the last of its emergency shelters in Cedar Rapids today.
A spokeswoman for the relief agency says that doesn’t mean its work is done in helping flood victims. Regional communications officer Kara Kelly says the tasks ahead mostly involve clean-up, but the Red Cross will help people fill out the forms they need to draw state and federal assistance.
“It can be a little daunting the amount of paperwork and other things you have to go through, so we try to make that process as simple as possible for people,” Kelly says. Kelly says the Red Cross has licensed mental health care workers available to help people get through the stress of recovery.
“This type of disaster is incredibly stressful. For some of these folks, this is the second time they’ve gone through this. Their homes may have seen considerable damage in 2008,” according to Kelly. The agency reports it provided nearly 700 overnight stays for flood victims since opening the shelters in eastern and northern Iowa September 22nd.
Thanks to Rob Dillard, Iowa Public Radio