James Madison University

Nursing Student Visits the Hurricane-Ravaged Gulf Coast

Lauren Myers ('06) traveled to Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to provide assistance to one of the Red Cross operated shelters.

When news of Hurricane Katrina hit students at James Madison University, many of them were busy settling in to their first couple weeks of a new semester. However, nursing student Lauren Myers, was hit with another unexpected twist to a new school year: a trip to the hurricane devastated Mississippi. Lauren’s decision to go on the trip was no difficult feat as she recalls; “As soon as I heard about this amazing opportunity; I wanted to be a part of it. I made two phone calls, one to my parents and another to my roommates to tell them the news that I was leaving in less than a week.” Lauren, along with other nursing students from JMU and Eastern Mennonite University, made the sudden journey in late September.

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JMU Nursing students share a photo with the shelter director,

Formal training and textbook images were a far cry from the destruction that Lauren and her fellow JMU students faced when they reached their destination. “Most of the needs of those we worked with were not necessarily physical needs by this point. We were most beneficial helping to serve their emotional and psychological needs. Listening, encouraging, and showing empathy proved as powerful tools,” Lauren says.

Cozy living arrangements and personal luxuries were also stripped from the students as they settled in to the kind of conditions that had become a way of life for Mississippi residents in the aftermath of the hurricane. Lauren and the group of nursing students spent the ten days sleeping on cots in a shelter among people of the community. They were not able to shower until the day before they headed home. Nevertheless, the lack of everyday comforts that the students normally enjoy was no distraction from their immediate duties. Lauren’s responsibilities included cleaning the shelter, preparing and serving meals, monitoring the registration desk, supervising the young children, and running one of the nurse’s stations.

One particular night at the shelter, during a talent show hosted by the group, Lauren was able to see the powerful impact of her ten day trip firsthand. She says, “I wish I could convey that magical feeling of hope and contentment that filled the shelter during that time. Dancing with the residents, and sharing in their joy, that for so long had been forgotten, was the most incredible feeling that I’ve ever felt. That night, I truly felt that I was making a difference.” Lauren was not only able to touch the lives of the residents in Mississippi, but she was also personally affected by the significance of the experience herself. She states, “The compassion and empathy I developed for the residents in the shelter was something I never expected. I have found that I am so much more considerate and tolerant of things I wasn’t even aware of before the journey.”

Lauren and the other nursing students returned home on September 30, but not without a heavy heart for those that they left behind. “They [the residents] touched my heart more than I could have ever expected. They were the reason I wanted to help in the first place, they continue to inspire me with their hope and enthusiasm,” she says.