Hurricane Harvey, the strongest hurricane since Wilma (2005), made landfall as a Category 4 storm in southern Texas on Friday, August 25th. Harvey wandered around southern Texas for days causing devastation not only in its initial impact site but other areas as well (i.e. Houston). Many residents were left stranded with limited resources and overwhelmed emergency services as water levels began to rise. Nursing homes and hospitals began to evacuate their patients and staff as their facilities began taking on more water than expected. Hospital employees caring for existing patients with the additional evacuees were understaffed and quickly overworked. Agencies began calling on Registered Nurses from across the country. Thousands of Registered Nurses answered the call to join Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts.
FAMU School of Nursing Alumni India Presley-Boyd and Toriquic Dunkley (pictured r-l) were on one of the first flights from Tampa, FL to Dallas, TX to join in on relief efforts. These courageous rattlers received their initial call to help on Monday, August 28th, and were on the ground in Texas less than 24 hours after. Toriquic and India were later both assigned to the same hospital. Their daily tasks include taking care of patients with an array of injuries and illnesses. Toriquic and India said they’ve been administering care to “victims of storm-caused drowning, heart attacks, and even burns.” Upon arrival they soon realized their importance, Toriquic recalls,
“many of the nurses were exhausted from being required to work day in and out while stuck in the hospitals.”
Toriquic and India expect to return home to Florida in a couple short days on Wednesday, September 13th, pending the impact of Hurricane Irma on their home airports. India says,
“I’ll take away the experience of meeting nurses who are willing to put their lives on the line to help others and the unified effort to come together and save lives.”
Both of these rattlers are also thankful for FAMU, Toriquic expressed that he is the nurse he is today because of FAMU. Toriquic and India both believe,
“FAMU teaches its nursing students to think outside the box.”
