Red Cross volunteers Kathie Hoette, left, and Vicki Sharp, both registered nurses, talk with Tiffany Chandler who is staying at a Red Cross shelter after a tornado struck St. Louis. (Red Cross photo by Carl Manning)
By Carl Manning
When a disaster strikes, one of the first things the American Red Cross does is open shelters to provide a safe, clean place for displaced people to stay. But the shelter provides more than a cot, blanket and meals.
There are teams of Red Cross volunteers who are registered nurses that go to each shelter to ensure the medical needs of those staying there are being met. The teams also plan to make welfare checks each day at the shelters.
After a tornado struck St. Louis, the nursing team of Kathie Hoette and Vicki Sharp visited each shelter to check with residents whether they had lost their medications or eyeglasses or had any other unmet medical needs.
“We identify the health needs they might have and do what we can to help them out,” Vicki said.
Like most nurses who volunteer with the Red Cross, Kathie and Vicki are retired with decades of experience helping others. When they arrive, they meet with the shelter staff and check the registration forms which includes a section where residents can list any medications or equipment they might require.
Kathie and Vicki said they’re doing what they enjoy best, helping people in a time of need. “I feel I have the skills and the heart to do it and I also have the calling to do it,” she said.
Red Cross volunteers Vicki Sharp, left, and Kathie Hoette, who both are registered nurses, talk to a resident at a Red Cross shelter that is housing people displaced by a tornado that struck St. Louis (Red Cross photo by Carl Manning)
While the nurses can help residents with medications, sometimes it’s just taking the time to talk to the residents and helping them process what they have been through.
“Just being able to help people, whether it is pat on the back or a friendly smile,” Kathie said. “Sometimes a soothing voice is something they need to hear.”
At one shelter, Kathie and Vicki visited with Tiffany Chandler, who was staying with friends when the tornado came through causing them to lose their home. Tiffany talked about what she went through and her medical needs.
“I thought it would be overwhelming here but really I found it OK,” Tiffany shared as she laid on her cot. “It was pretty scary. I was watching the weather change and it was there for a second and then it was gone, and the power lines were snapping,” she said.
Tiffany said she felt much better after talking to Kathi and Vicki.
“I appreciate everything you do,” she said. “You guys are the heroes.”
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