Flood victims in Cecil County salvage lives after Hurricane Irene

NORTH EAST, Md. - Total strangers now stop to offer help at this house on Cecil Avenue in North East.

"They got an outreach center there, and they can give you some food," offered up a motorist who stopped at Cindy Haulsey’s front porch.

The Haulsey family lost their furniture and must now make a public appeal for food after the rising waters of Little Northeast Creek flooded their home during the hurricane.

"Just made my coffee... took two drinks and the water was already approaching the house that fast,” said Haulsey, “It just came up from nothing to a lot... waist high, and I just had time to get my 10-year old son out. We had life jackets. We had rope."

The heavy rains of Irene also pushed the waters of Big Elk Creek out of its banks flooding businesses along Bridge Street in Elkton.

"I really didn't expect this to happen," said Pam Conklin, who moved her beauty shop from across the street after it flooded during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, "This time we got about 18 inches, so it was quite a mess. We came by here Saturday around 12 o'clock and we were going to try to get in, but it was completely flooded out. We never thought Floyd was going to happen again---a storm like that."

Cindy Haulsey and her family had no idea their Cecil Avenue home had experienced similar flooding 12 years ago, and now they must rely on the charity of perfect strangers to survive.

"The problem is we didn't have a lot of ready-to-eat foods cause I am paycheck to paycheck. With us not having a stove and refrigerator, that's making it hard."