Al Alcock has pretty much seen it all, travelling to disaster zones around the globe – such as Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake – to offer his skills to the Canadian Red Cross.

On June 22, the long-time Yukoner flew to Calgary as the Red Cross flood relief efforts began.

"I knew we were facing Canada's worst natural disaster,” Alcock said in an interview Tuesday, just a day after he arrived back in Whitehorse, of his immediate impressions of the city.

As he pointed out, the flood's impacts have stretched all the way to the Alberta/B.C. border and on to Saskatoon, with about 50,000 homes affected.

"It's not just one small area,” he said, noting he has family in both High River and Calgary.

Alcock serves as the Canadian Red Cross' western lead. Though he's retired, his career working in logistics has given him the skill set he uses on the ground in disaster relief.

In this case, he was organizing volunteers, transportation and others in southern Alberta to work around the flooding.

He got word two weeks ago that efforts would be ramping up in Calgary, but it wasn't until the following Saturday that he could leave Whitehorse.

"We went big very quickly,” he said, noting his team grew from two to 20 with more than 750 volunteers working when he left.

The disaster relief efforts took over the Red Cross' five-storey Western Canada headquarters building, that just managed to miss the flooding in downtown Calgary by about a block.

"We pretty much took over all five floors,” he said, noting that by the time he left, a Red Cross base camp was being set up to focus specifically on relief efforts.

"That relief operation is really critical,” Alcock said, noting shelters were still being opened and damage assessments happening when he left the area. It's expected it could take five to 10 years to deal with all the damage the flood has brought.

The Red Cross, he said, is working with the provincial government and other agencies to maximize resources the best they can.

Alcock noted that Canadians have been very generous both in the past and in this relief effort, donating whatever time, money and resources they can.

He cited a 50/50 draw at a CFL game last week where all the proceeds, including the prize winner's, were donated to the flood efforts.

"That was very prevalent,” he said of the generosity he saw during his time in Calgary.

While Alcock's experience has taken him to disaster zones around the globe, he said working in his own country does not change how he does things.

No matter where he's working, Alcock views everyone as his neighbour, and the Red Cross does everything it can to see to the most immediate needs.

It also presents itself as a visitor, there to help wherever its needed.

"Regardless of where we go, we're a guest,” Alcock said.

One of the biggest infrastructure challenges moving forward will be the hosting of the Calgary Stampede, beginning Friday.

Alcock said he understands why the city is continuing with the hosting of its annual stampede.

He described it as a "morale booster” and much needed economic booster to businesses and individuals severely affected by the flooding.

However, he noted the booked hotel rooms and rental vehicles make it more of a logistical challenge for those responding to the flood efforts.

Still, he's confident he's left the situation in good hands, with another Red Cross volunteer coming in over the last couple of days.

He encouraged anyone wanting to donate to the relief effort to contact the Red Cross at 1-800-418-1111 or by going to www.redcross.ca.