Texas Baptist Men volunteers often travel to help after disasters far away, now they are preparing to help flood victims in North Texas.
On Wednesday morning, volunteers with the Texas Baptist Men came to Larry Keyes' home in Dallas, near Balch Springs, to assess the damage flood waters left behind.
"Yeah, this has been soaked with water," Art Brandenburg with the Texas Baptist Men said looking at a mattress. "It all needs to go. A lot of work. A lot of work. Too much for one person."
Keyes said the water came up quickly, filling his home with 3-feet of water. A swift water rescue team brought Keyes, his wife Deborah, and their dogs to safety.
"It's kinda like going to war," Keyes, a Marine veteran said. "You don't know what it's like to get shot at until you do, you know? And people who haven't been in a flood, they don't really know, but it's like going to war, too."
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The Keyes are on a fixed income and don't have flood insurance. Their home will need the sheetrock ripped out up to 4-feet high, floors and cabinets removed, and more.
"The mold grows in the wall behind the cabinet, and you can't see it, but it's there," Brandenburg explained. "When we're finished it will be to the studs."
Brandenburg said volunteers do the work of helping disaster victims because they feel it's their calling from God.
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"We get up in the morning and we say, 'God, where do you want me to go?' and this is where he sends us," Brandenburg said. "Some people are hopeless and you can just see a little bit of light, of hope come back into their lives when we leave."
The Texas Baptist Men volunteers will be back for cleanup at the Keyes' home on Thursday.
