By Rick Steelhammer
www.wvgazette.com
SPENCER, W.Va. - During his career in the West Virginia Army National Guard, Don Hudkins was called to active duty to provide disaster relief following the deadly 1972 Buffalo Creek flood and the widespread flooding that swept through the state's Eastern mountains in 1985.
Now retired, Hudkins found himself in a National Guard armory again Friday -- this time to seek aid from a Red Cross disaster-assistance center established there in the wake of Thursday's flash flooding in his hometown.
Hudkins owns one of about 100 Spencer houses damaged by the most severe flooding to sweep through this Roane County town since 1903. While he and his wife were able to take temporary shelter in a friend's house, they have been getting meals and picking up cleanup supplies at the Red Cross center.
Since Thursday night, the center has served or delivered nearly 1,000 meals to flood victims and emergency workers. Seven people spent the night in the center.
"I know what it's like to go 11 days without taking a shower to help people after a flood," Hudkins said. "Now I know what it feels like to be on the other side. It makes you appreciate what people are willing to do for you."
Read the rest of the story 100 Spencer homes damaged by flooding
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