Elkhart community donates items to Goodwill for #57FloodRelief

ELKHART, Ind. - A bell tolls in Goodwill every time someone pulls up the donation drive-thru. Friday, neighbors helping neighbors kept it sounding all day.

“I’ve flooded twice in my house, so I know what it’s like to go through that process. Just trying to help other people," said Jeff Heign, the president of Backyard Pools.

Heign donated more than 60 gallons of bleach, which he says will kill anything, including mold.

"We had extra. We don’t need it," he said.

“Those are all things that are going to be necessary as we move into the recovery part of this, where homeowners actually have to start cleaning up," said Elkhart County Emergency Manager, Jennifer Tobey.

If you're going to be doing the cleaning, however, you have to make sure you do so safely.

“This is the DrinkThru Mask. It’s from smart mask technologies. It’s a respirator mask that allows you to continue to hydrate without removing it so you’re not being exposed to the mold and spores," said an associate with Smart Mask Technologies, Lori Baldwin.

"With the number of homes that I’m seeing that have been affected by flooding, anything that we can do to come together and work together and help each other, is a positive," said Tobey.

Tobey stresses that you should report any flood damage you have to emergency management so they can accurately assess the impact on the county for disaster relief funds. 

Just call (574) 891-2238.