The Northwest Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the 17 people in five families affected by Sunday's flood in the city of Cartersville. What may have been a flash flood hit areas of the city Sunday evening, after storms dumped 3 to 4 inches of rain from 5 to 8 p.m., according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Robert Beasley.

Cartersville police officers and Danny Gilreath, who owns rental homes on Herring Street, rescued several people from flooded residences, including two infants and an elderly woman. When The Daily Tribune News was on scene around 8 p.m. Sunday, the displaced families were awaiting the arrival of Red Cross volunteers.

Jac Whatley, the agency's executive director, said the Red Cross arranged hotel stays for four of the families devastated by up to 14 inches of water in their homes.

"We board them for three days under normal circumstances. ... It's really just short-term, immediate assistance," Whatley said. "We take over what we call a comfort kit for each family member. It's just a personal hygiene kit with the basics they'll need to get into the motel and stay overnight and sometimes for children, we provide toys and things like that so they can have a little emotional support."

For the people of Herring Street, some of whom Gilreath said saw 2.5 to 3 feet of water in their homes, the immediate future may be uncertain, but Gilreath said he will repair his seven rental homes.

"The problem is insurance doesn't cover floods," he said, adding the city had improved drainage in the area. "What are you going to do? You can't blame anybody; it's just an act of God."

Four of the more than a dozen Red Cross volunteers from Bartow County assisted the Cartersville families displaced by high-rising water, which also damaged businesses and streets in Cartersville.

"[This is important] because it's part of our mission. We are chartered to respond to disasters like this," Whatley said. "A lot of people think of us in connection with hurricanes and major disasters and of course we do that, too. But actually, we spend more of our time on a local level with home fires or flooding."

Whatley added the local Red Cross chapter, which has eight full-time staff members but covers an area with 495,000 people, is dependent on volunteers. For more information on volunteering, contact the Bartow office at 770-382-0981 or the Rome location at 770-291-6648.