Hurricane Stories

We’re coming up on the ten-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

The stories have been told from many perspectives, but none so far from the EMTs who live and work here. I’ve been asked by our former state EMS director to compile and edit a collection of EMS vignettes from the two hurricanes that so devastated our state in late summer of 2005.

If you have a story you’d like to share, send it to me. I want personal stories, patient care stories, stories of despair and frustration, stories of fatigue and exhaustion, stories of hope and wonderment. If you’re an EMT who worked in any phase of the hurricane response, or a Louisiana EMT who was rescuing victims for days on end while wondering if he even still had a home, I want to hear it.

If you’re from out of state, but worked hurricane response in Louisiana and came home with lasting memories of our state, I want to hear it. The stories of Louisiana EMTs will be given precedence, but I want all perspectives.

Send it to me in a Word document, or even an email. If you’re uncomfortable writing it, I’ll record it in an oral history via Skype, and transcribe it. I want direct quotes, names, dates and places. I can’t guarantee that your story will be chosen, but I guarantee that every story is appropriately HIPAA-tized, and I’ll make an effort to make sure that the tone of your story is preserved. After editing, I’ll send your polished story back to you for approval before publishing.

Send your stories to me at [email protected].

Share this post with your friends on Facebook and other social media sites. I need as many stories as I can find, and I’ll choose the most compelling of them and include them in the book, with a credit to each storyteller.

 

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