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10 N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 C A L I F O R N I A N U R S E Here at the Houston Astrodome, there are still so many with lost loved ones, lost homes, lost dig- nity—just plain lost. We hear the same stories of how the evacuees pounded a hole in the attic ceiling with a hammer, enlarged the hole in the roof with a saw, and climbed onto the rooftop with water still rising. As if that wasn't enough to worry about, one man said that he risked the alligators and snakes to swim to his neighbor's boat. Hope is shining through, though. We see hundreds of patients per shift, addressing chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma in order to be proac- tive about stabilizing these conditions so that they don't escalate into medical emergencies. We treat one layer at a time: addressing the chronic conditions, then acute con- ditions such as multiple wound infections, dysentery, bronchitis, and rashes, all of which are related to con- taminated water immersion or ingestion. Finally, after ad- dressing the acute and chronic illnesses, we walk the evacuees over to the mental health area where counselors are available. It's Sept. 11. Remembering the Twin Tower tragedy seems ironic today. Whether it's a disaster created by evil men or mother nature's fury, the end result is the same: pure devastation. The flags are still flying at half mast. Another woman hugged me so tightly for what seemed like an eternity. I had cared for her at least twice already. She said, "I love you baby, God bless you." I don't want to be singled out. Instead, I'd rather be re- membered as a part of a team collaborating toward a common goal of restoring humanity and a broken piece of the past. —Sandy Reding, RN Bakersfield Memorial Hospital I am at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation's main cam- pus in Jefferson, Lousiana, just north of New Orleans. Each of us volunteers basically jumped right in. I did trauma/triage and watched these people be wheeled in on gurneys that had been on their roofs or held up in their homes for over eight days. I met an older gentleman who was picked up on the side of the road for seizures. He asked me to please let him go to his wait- ing family and let him get on the plane! Those were the only words he spoke because he started to seize again and the hours were consumed with identifying what was happening to him. There has been donated food and water from across the coun- try, all delivered throughout this hospital by a steady stream of volunteers and National Guard troops. It is that support that has made this place a refuge for the remains of this community and staff. I left the man with the seizures when we transported him to ICU. Looking out his window after settling him in his room, the devastation is just profound. Directly across the street are burnt-down buildings. There is a motel to the left that has clothes strung all along the banisters. On the front lawn of the hospital is an 18-wheeler truck upside down. I continue to think I am not doing enough here as I feel lucky to have an air bed to sleep on, and I washed my hair today in the sink with warm water. That was so wonderful. We still can't drink any of that water or brush our teeth in it, but washing my hair in gross water was fine. I am going to bed soon as I think I just want to rest. Then I think how lucky I am to have a safe place to rest and have a time of peace. Once again we all should think about how much of our lives, we do things to excess and here there is nothing but the ne- cessities. I have gained more perspective on my life in regard to "things." I haven't been too much of a materialistic person, but now more than ever before, Things are just that—Things. Life is about relationships and opportunities to make them. —Cyndi Evans, RN Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa PHOTOGRAPHS BY LESLIE HAWKINS, RN (ABOVE) AND JACKSON HILL (OPPOSITE) Volunteer RN Sandy Reding checks a Katrina evacuee's blood pressure at one of the Houston Astrodome complexes.