"They've lost it all:" Red Cross regional CEO returns home after 3 weeks in hurricane-ravaged Texas



MILWAUKEE -- She spent three weeks helping Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas. On Sunday afternoon, September 24th, Patty Flowers of the American Red Cross returned to Milwaukee.

Patty Flowers



In the final stretch of a life-changing trip, Flowers could do little more than fight back tears.

"Just brings a lot of emotions to all of us in the family, her giving up her time for someone else," said Jim Flowers, Patty's son.

Patty Flowers is the Regional Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross in southeastern Wisconsin. She returned from hurricane ravaged Texas, where she was helping victims in Red Cross shelters.



"I got more hugs when I was down there than I'd ever had in my lifetime I swear and again people that don't really have anything to be grateful for, they've lost it all and they have nothing to get them going except for us," Flowers said.



Flowers said she spent her first week in Beaumont, Texas. The last two were spent at a massive shelter in Houston, where she worked with hundreds of volunteers to make sure the thousands of displaced residents were getting as much care as possible.

Patty Flowers



"Everybody I was with has a servant heart. You just want to be able to do this. I feel so good and I am a little bit guilty being back here now to be honest, because I feel like there is so much more to be done," Flowers said.

Flowers anticipates resting for the next two to three days before returning to work at her Red Cross office in Milwaukee.