After the catastrophic flooding that devastated Louisiana in late August leaving 40,000 houses damaged and 86,000 people in need of disaster relief, volunteers fled to the front lines to help in any way possible. The flooding was considered one of the worst natural disasters to strike the US since Hurricane Sandy’s impact on the Northeast in 2012.
A Red Cross volunteer nurse from St. Louis has been hailed as a hero after saving a man’s life while helping provide relief in Louisiana. Volunteer Nurse Gladys Peters travelled to Louisiana after the disastrous flooding to help provide medical support for the local Red Cross staff. Many volunteers forget the need to take care of themselves first when helping out in the chaos of disaster zones, and Peters wanted to be sure she was there to provide support for medical staff.
With 40 years of experience as a registered nurse, Peters knew she could be of use in Louisiana. While helping out in a Red Cross parking lot, she says she felt she was in the right place at the right time when she saved the life of a total stranger.
The man that Peters helped save didn’t speak English, but he recognized the universal Red Cross sign for help and knew he could go to their volunteers when he saw their signs. Peters quickly realized that the man was suffering from heat stroke and cramping all over from potassium depletion. With help from two other nurses and a translator, Peters got the man to a local hospital where her quick thinking and actions helped save the man’s life.
Peters had plenty of triage experience treating similar patients in an emergency room, but the disaster relief setting was unfamiliar to her in the beginning. However, after five disaster missions in the past six years, Peters has become passionate about her work and says she will continue it after a short break from her trip to Louisiana because more help is always needed.
Thank you Gladys Peters, our Nurse of the Week, for the inspiring work you do helping save lives and protect medical volunteers in times of disaster relief.
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