Clara Barton

Today I am pretty fascinated by the work of Clara Barton, nurse, humanitarian, and founder of the American Red Cross.   I have been watching footage from Hurricane Ike on weather.com mainly because my family is directly in the path of this monster, with it's 20 foot storm surges and 270+ mile diameter of destructive winds.  My search for information had me stumble across this website....

www.1900storm.com/redcross

The storm that hit Galveston Island over a century ago, killing 6000+ people, was interestingly Clara Barton's last emergency relief effort.  It's as if she tired out at 78 years old, thinking "This is it. No more for me. This storm was the mother of all storms."  Since then, a 17 foot high sea wall was built to protect the island from such devastation ever re-occurring.  

 I am floored by pictures of the Gulf of Mexico literally pounding over the fortress that normally heeds a straight drop to the beach below.  Clearly, the efforts of the American Red Cross will be needed to restore devastation to this area again as even sea walls, levees, and the like cannot stop the power of the surge.  It seems that no place can ever be prepared enough for catastrophe.  

Barton's story reminds me of how nurses CAN change the world.  After all, isn't that what we seek?  We want to help people through the crises of their lives; to give hope when all has been ripped away.  Some of us want to feel indispensable.  Others just desire excitement, unpredictability, and having to critically think their way out of stressful situations.  It makes me want to be a do-gooder.  Maybe I'll go donate some blood, join the relief effort, or something of the like tomorrow.  Right now, I'm a sitting duck--outside contact for those who have either evacuated or are riding out the storm.