One thing I’ve heard over and over from people who were caught in last week’s tornadoes was how quickly it was over – and how dramatically things changed. We are so fortunate that there were so few injuries and fatalities here in Arkansas. I guess all the elementary school drills and information from our local meteorologists paid off for those of us who grew up in Arkansas. It’s never too late for a refresher course – this CDC site has lots of good information that our teachers didn’t tell us as we kneeled in our elementary school hallways with our heads tucked under our arms.
Even with several days’ warning about severe weather, it was a shock to see a Mass Casualty Alert come across my phone and my computer screen last Friday. It was so reassuring to see our team jump into action and put into place everything they’ve been taught in tabletop exercises and mock scenarios. I’m so appreciative of everyone who offered to stay late to help even as they awaited word from friends and family about their own neighborhoods. It’s this attitude that make UAMS so special.
The outpouring of support for our UAMS team members who were affected by the storm and those throughout Arkansas has been incredible. We are truly ARStrong.
Like many of you, I’ve been fascinated by all the efforts to reunite pets with their owners and support pets who haven’t yet found their way home. The last tornado to hit Little Rock was before Facebook was so popular, so this is the first time our entire community has been able to rally together and help families who have lost cats, dogs or other pets. It’s amazing how people are willing to help out.
These heartbreaking posts have made me think about our dogs and what we would do if a tornado was heading our way. Here’s a link to a Georgia Humane Society page with helpful tips for future severe weather events. Banks and Bodhi are chipped and have tags with all our information, and, like always, we’ll continue to take them to our safe place with us.
My family was fortunate enough to not have any damage or power outages, yet the destruction in our community has taken up a lot of my focus and energy. Imagine those who have been without power and those who no longer have a home. UAMS has given these employees time off to begin putting their lives back together, but a full recovery will take months, if not longer. When our friends and colleagues affected by the tornado come back to work, please extend grace and offer help and a listening ear.
One silver lining of this storm is the pride it’s given me in our UAMS Nurses.
Thank you all,
Trenda