PHOENIX -

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITEE NEWS: Recent flash floods took a toll on many Valley residents, but some had no way to take cover from the storm.

LIZ McCLENDON/HOMELESS: Us people on the street sleep outside next to the men’s overflow, so there’s a tent out there where we sleep on the ground so we all ran to the tent and we put on blankets on us that we sleep on to try and get the rain to not get on us as much as possible.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITEE NEWS: But that didn’t stop the rain from destroying some of Liz’s belongings.

LIZ McCLENDON/HOMELESS: I had a book I had just bought at the Dollar Store, it ruined the pages.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITEE NEWS: Like many in the homeless community, Liz wasn’t ready for the storm.

BRIAN STEELE/CEO OF PHOENIX DREAM CENTER: For them in that instance, they don’t have the weather Doppler there’s no cell phone beeping that an emergency’s coming.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITE NEWS: So shelters ask the community to donate what they can to help with the aftermath.

The Phoenix Dream Center says when the weather gets wet, the best thing you can donate are large garbage bags so the homeless community can keep their belongings dry. Other helpful items include food, water, raincoats and Ziploc bags.

BRIAN STEELE/CEO OF PHOENIX DREAM CENTER: If you can imagine, you might go camping or something like that, imagine what you would take to protect your electronics, to protect anything that you have. Those are things that they need, in a very real sense, just to protect whatever little bit of life they have left.

ANALISE ORTIZ/CRONKITEE NEWS: Donations Liz is always thankful for.

LIZ MCCLENDON/HOMELESS: They remind us that they care as well as God loves us and that’s what keeps me going.