The disappointment turned trivial when he returned home Sunday night and found his hometown of Columbus, Indiana under water. People were displaced, the hospital was shut down with several feet of water on it’s main floor, and many homes were destroyed.
Monday morning, Tony Stewart visited the Columbus Public Works garage to thank the men and women who had been working around the clock to restore the town’s infrastructure.
After his visit with the city workers, he headed over to his old junior high school, where the American Red Cross had converted the gymnasium into temporary housing. Stewart chatted with the flood evacuees and provided a temporary distraction from the worries that came when rising flood waters changed their lives forever.
Afterwards, Stewart said, “ I went in there to try to lift everybody’s spirits up and just visit with everybody. Everybody is doing a really good job. They had 500 people in that shelter on Saturday night, and they were down to 35 people by Monday afternoon. It’s just hard. A lot of these people have lost everything, and I just wanted to let them know we were thinking about them. Just spending a couple of minutes with them made them smile, and it seemed like it made them feel better.”
There were so many stories of hardship, Stewart wondered where to even start. The answer: Sunday’s LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
Whatever Stewart’s portion of the race winnings are in the LifeLock 400, he’ll donate them to the American Red Cross in Columbus, with the money specified for flood assistance. Those wishing to join Stewart in helping those affected by the floods throughout Indiana can call 812-379-9551 or send checks payable to The American Red Cross, 931 Repp Drive, Columbus, IN 47201. If writing a check, write “Indiana Flood & Tornado Relief” on the memo line.
