Minnesotans and Wisconsinites team up to provide supplies for victims in Houston

HUDSON, Wis. (KMSP) - As the rains continue to fall and floodwaters continue to rise on Texas' gulf coast, two northern states are teaming up at the last minute to collect thousands of dollars worth of supplies for the victims who need them the most. 

Gathered in a grocery store parking lot Tuesday afternoon, Minnesotans and Wisconsinites banded together to help victims of the worst storm Texas has seen in well over a decade, bringing anything and everything they could fit on trucks and trailers headed south--diapers and baby formula, food and other household items that people might not normally think of grabbing before they headed out their doors, some for the final time.

It was all organized by Paul Rode, a local restaurant owner in Hudson, Wis., who saw the storm coverage and and decided--just a few hours before shipping off--that he needed to do something. Everyday people from miles around, however, were really the ones who made it happen, he says.

"People were just coming from every direction, which is awesome," he said. "Hudson is great, we even had people come from Minnesota and all around, so it's just been awesome."

One of the couples who showed up to donate items heard about the drive while shopping at their local Target store, feeling compelled to participate because they have family members who live in Houston. 

Courtney and Shamara Henry brought extra diapers and baby formula, hoping that even this small gesture will make a world of difference to a family across the country going through one of the worst weeks of their lives.

"It's devastating, you can't do too much. All you can do is sit back and watch," Courtney Henry said. "This is the least we can do."