Emergency Nurse Travels: NEW ORLEANS

I have a love for New Orleans that runs deep in me. The only explanation I have for this is my experience I have had with the people that live there. In 2005, me and three other nurses hit the road to travel to NOLA for the weekend. Little did we know that two weeks later Katrina would be hitting. With the people from the (Crescent City) being evacuated to other major cities and local trauma hospitals taking in the sick and injured, I became one of the nurses helping those that were brought to Brackenridge Hospital located in Austin, Texas. At the time I worked in the emergency room for the only trauma hospital. We tented to the sick and injured that came to us by bus loads. The only place we could house so many people were under the hospital in the large garage area. With people running all over the place and medical, food, bathroom stations in designated areas, I felt like I was in a war zone. This was not my only experience with helping the people of NOLA and my only involvement with hurricanes. In 2008 I signed up with two other nurses to drive to the Dallas Convention Center for Angel Staffing, a company based out of San Antonio, Texas. Together with other nurses from Parkland Hospital, we took care of 600 evacuees that left New Orleans when Ike hurricane hit.

I stayed in Dallas and worked for a week, until every last one of the evacuees were able to be sent back home. That experience touched my heart and made me realize why I became a nurse. I felt like I made a difference as a nurse for that short period of time. I know working the emergency department should be enough, but this was different. I was up close with the people brought here for me to help. I really got know them and got a sense what they had to endure with losing there home, family, and friends. I'll never forget on my last day saying goodbye, I was given a book by one of my patients by the name of Betty. In it she wrote a thank you note on the front cover and signed her name. It just doesn't get any better then that and made me gratefull for this opportunity to befriend the people of New Orleans.

This year was the first time I have had a chance to go back to New Orleans to Visit. It was to celebrate my birthday, just like I had in 2005 with my three other nursing friends from Brackenridge. It was just like I'd remembered it, beautiful and mysterious with voodoo shops, old cast iron balconies, horse drawn carriages, and the smell of Creole food around every corner. This place is like no other and forever will be apart of me.