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Elsa held on to his hand as they slogged through the cold, s floated past them She saw a broken-down truck with a pile of junk tarped in the back And a face “There,” she yelled to Jack, pointed

“We’re here to help,” Jack shouted

The black, shiny tarp slowly lifted Huddled beneath it, Elsa saas a bony wo a toddler Both her face and the toddler’s were blue with cold

“Let us help you,” Jack said, reaching out

The wo her child close Elsa immediately put an arm around the woman, felt how thin she was

At the side of the road, volunteers— with umbrellas and raincoats and blankets and hot coffee

“Thank you,” the woman said

Elsa nodded and turned back to Jack Together, they trudged back to the camp

Water and wind beat at them; mud filled Elsa’s boots with cold

They worked through the long, wet night Along with the rest of the volunteers, they helped people get away from the flooded encaot thes they could find

By six in thehad stopped and dawn revealed the devastation caused by the flash flood The ditch-bank cas floated in the water Tents lay in tangled masses, ruined Sheets of cardboard and metal lay scattered, as did boxes and buckets and quilts Jalopies were up to their fenders in water and mud, trapped in place

Elsa stood by the side of the road, staring at the flooded land

People like her who had al

Jack came up beside Elsa and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders “You are dead on your feet”

She pushed the wet hair out of her eyes Her hand trembled at the effort “I’m fine”