National Nurses United

4 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 0 MINNESOTA A woman watched as her husband and three children were washed off their boat and drowned. Two fisher- men rescued an elderly man, tied themselves to a tree and somehow survived for three days. A woman and her young child wore life preservers and held onto an elderly blind woman who didn't have a life preserver for 36 hours, as they all floated in the storm surge. Those are some of the harrowing stories an MNA nurse heard when she traveled to the Bahamas to provide disaster relief and nursing care for Hurricane Dorian survivors this past fall. Linda Jessen-Howard, RN of St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul volunteered for National Nurses United's RN Response Network (RNRN) deployment to the Bahamas, which was ravaged by Hurricane Dorian in September. It was the second such volunteer mission for Jessen-Howard. Jessen-Howard was deployed for two weeks in the High Rock community on the eastern side of Grand Bahama Island, where she cared for patients in a tent that served as a clinic after the community clinic was leveled by the hurricane. The makeshift clin- ic provided basics like prescription refills and treatment for hypertension and diabetes. "The High Rock community was very hard hit," Jessen said. "There are virtually no intact structures on that side of the island, though there are some partial homes still standing. The salt water storm surge killed most of the vegetation and contaminated the water supply. It was hard for people to see their beautiful tropical island looking brown rather than green." People from the High Rock area were living in tents or traveling to Freeport, which is about 45 minutes away, with many return- ing to High Rock frequently to work on their homes or just connect with others from their community, some on a daily basis. "Really, my biggest function was listening to people tell me about what happened," she said. "They had devastating and inspiring stories of loss and survival. Over and over, people told me how grateful they were to still be alive, despite losing everything. There was a lot that was really beautiful and strong about the people of High Rock. They have tight extended families and people in the communi- ty are very close and supportive of each other. It was quite remarkable to witness." "People were so grateful and kind to me that I was almost embarrassed. The guy who drove us nearly every day gave me a hug when I said goodbye; he held me an extra second and told me that as long as he lived, he'd never forget me, and thanked me for doing so much. I felt so humbled by his graciousness." "I worked with a very caring and skilled Bahamian staff, and stayed in a nice place," she said. "I should be thanking them for what they gave me in terms of perspective. When you come back to your climate-controlled home, flip on the lights, get drinkable water from your tap, and realize that you haven't lost anyone in your family to a weather event, you have a very different appreciation for those things. Anyone considering volunteer- ing for an RNRN deployment will almost certainly find the experience amazing." You can find information about volunteer- ing for deployments on the RNRN website at www.nationalnursesunited.org/rnrn. —Amber Smiegel MNA nurse cares for Hurricane Dorian victims Treating survivors in Bahamas was lifechanging NEWS BRIEFS

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