With all of the events that happened over the weekend, it’s easy to focus on all that’s lost. Yet, if you were able to visit any of the volunteer locations, you would understand that the worst conditions can bring out the best in people.

The floods that poured through DeKalb County may not have destroyed every home, but they affected everyone. It is a terrifying fact that in a matter of hours, every possession someone owns could be completely ruined or washed away. However, it’s amazing that hundreds came out to help complete strangers.

Those who were able to make time for others turned this disaster into an awe-inspiring event.

Friday afternoon, 1216 Market St. was the place to be. Walking into the DeKalb Water Resources warehouse, you were hit with a wall of positive energy. Strangers stood next to each other, working in teams to fill sandbags that were handed off to other strangers who, in turn, delivered them to other unknown neighbors.

Smiles were shared as brows glowed with sweat. There was a common goal – to do good.

Although most of the volunteers had no prior history or knowledge of how to operate a relief effort, the amount of work done in a matter of only hours proved that all you need to make a difference is a heart in the right place.

At the DeKalb Park District’s Sports and Recreation Center, evacuees were from mixed communities. There were those who had lost almost everything with those who just needed a place to stay until the waters receded.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross shared kind words and plans of what to do next.

Thankless jobs are difficult. Low-paying jobs are difficult. Yet, hundreds have found a way to ignore that by just doing what needed to be done.

The weekend could have been more devastating. But by the work of the nameless, DeKalb is able to fight back by simply caring.