The CEO of the North Texas Region Red Cross, knows firsthand what it is like to be forced to leave your home in a Hurricane.
“I am a Hurricane Katrina survivor. I was a resident of the City of New Orleans, and I see this event through a completely different set of eyes,” said Keith Rhodes, CEO of the Red Cross, North Texas Region.
He remembers well going back to the city he called home, after Katrina came through.
“To return back to the city and see the level of destruction and the things that happened in that city was just again something that is etched in my mind forever,” added Rhodes.
Rhodes was the CEO of a Childrens home in New Orleans, where he was in charge of 90 children, many neglected and abused. The home did not suffer water damage, but it was looted and most of what was inside was gone. He helped the kids rebuild their lives, and his own.
“It took years. Some of these kids are still dealing with it, just like I am with the level of loss,” said Rhodes.
They moved forward. So did he. He left for California for a job opportunity, and eventually Rhodes ended up coming to Dallas to lead the Red Cross.
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“It was a life lesson I think that has put me in a really unique and qualified position right now, to deal with what we are dealing with right now in Houston,” he added.
Rhodes has been working almost around the clock the past two weeks, running the operations center at the Red Cross in Dallas. But sometimes the memories are so painful he has to take a quick break.
“There have been times I have had to go off to the side and just kind of get by myself and cry, just out of the anguish and pain that I still feel from what happened then, but I am dedicated now to focusing on these folks and making sure I help them as much as I can,” said Rhodes, adding later, “My level of energy and passion and drive about helping these individuals right now is at an all-time high."
