Ravaged by Hurricane Helene, TCOM faculty mobilized to help in hardest-hit areas

[Link]One drove 18 hours in one day, and the other finished teaching a training class at 2 a.m. before catching a flight that landed at 6 a.m., both headed to the same place, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic devastation to millions in the region and Maria Crompton, DO, FAAFP, DipABLM and Jeff Beeson, DO, RN, EMT-P from The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth were on their way to help.

It was personal for Dr. Crompton, North Carolina is her home state. For Dr. Beeson, as the medical team manager and medical director for Texas Task Force 1, one of FEMAs 28 search and rescue teams, it was exactly what he just finished teaching and has been doing for 15 years, helping find survivors and taking care of the medical team.

Crompton, the director of rural medical education at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, was in Phoenix when Helene came ashore, being honored as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians when her connections with the Ground Force Humanitarian Aid (GFHA, formerly Cajun Navy Ground Force) who she previously deployed with for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, reached out to her. They asked if she could deploy and provide assistance, and the decision was easy.

On Oct. 4 in the early morning, Crompton left Texas and began the 18-hour drive to Mitchell County, North Carolina. Crompton grew up in Chapel Hill, and it was difficult to see when she arrived.

"It definitely hits home when you see it in person," Crompton said. "Just the effects of the houses being gone, families are gone, roads gone, parts of rivers in new locations, remaining houses being full of mud in the mountains. It was just things you would not think could ever happen in that part of the country."

Beeson, HSC's interim executive vice president of health systems and vice president of clinical partnerships and initiatives and assistant professor in the TCOM's Department of Medical Education, was in Washington D.C. teaching a FEMA Medical Training Course, which wrapped up at 2 a.m. on Oct. 4. By 6 a.m. that morning, he was in Charlotte on his way to Yancey County, North Carolina with the rest of Task Force 1, which had already been on the ground.

[Link]"Our primary responsibility was to do primary searches in Yancey County," Beeson said. "We conducted search and rescue operations, contacted every structure in the county, identifying the people who were going to shelter in place or needed evacuation. We also connected the dots everywhere to know what the damage was to structures and what the food needs were."

Crompton and Beeson were in neighboring counties at the same time, but their missions were decidedly different.

"The initial phase of GFHA deployment is critical mass care and distribution- setting up SAFE Camp in Mitchell County for massive distribution of food, water, hygiene essentials, and other immediate needs, as well as a?run medical tent for the volunteers and community members?who were able to get out and into town".? Crompton said.? "For the many?unable to get out, or that were known to be missing, we had teams out on UTVs consisting of medical professionals, chainsaw crews, locals, etc, loaded down with supplies in order to?reach them. Many areas are only reachable by UTV or hiking in."

Crompton credits the collaboration with the local community members, who helped navigate many members of the team on dirt bikes and UTVs and took them to the hardest hit locations to help assist. Without their collaboration, getting to those in the most need in the mountainous areas would have been impossible.

[Link]A town hall was organized by GFHA leaders and local leaders and held at the Little Switzerland Inn where community members, relief workers and other volunteers came together.

"It was an amazing group of organized locals who took the initiative to represent their counties," Crompton said. "The town hall gave the locals and volunteers a great opportunity to speak about what's going on in their county and understand all the strengths and assets available. They were able to identify what areas and specific people were still missing, what areas were impassable, where they needed chainsaw crews and medical help and how to get there. It was highly effective and more efficient in letting the locals be the voice and telling us where the needs were to understand how we could all work together. It's exactly what we emphasize in our rural scholars curriculum-listening to and acting on the community's voice and leaning on each other's different skill sets to work collaboratively."

Crompton assisted in the area to those who needed medical care, especially with clinics being closed down, which included unattainable post-operative care requiring evaluations, suture, and staple removals, bee sting anaphylaxis, acutely uncontrolled conditions due to medication loss, dehydration, a significant amount of wound care, as well as grief and mental health needs.

However, in all of the heavy and heartbreaking experiences out there, there were some positive and uplifting ones to share. While doing home visits in the community, Crompton was asked to check on a patient in her 60s in palliative care. What initially was a wellness check, turned into a wonderful opportunity to offer some osteopathic manipulative treatment.

[Link]"She mentioned that her biggest concern was a pain over her left rib area that had been present for weeks," Crompton said. "So here we are in the hills of Appalachia with no power, no water, but OMT! I was able to evaluate her there on her couch, with just my hands-channeling my inner A.T. Still-and treat her rib dysfunction with complete resolution of pain. She was so grateful. I was very proud that it was me, a DO, who was there to be able to help her that day."

From Oct. 2-8, Beeson and the task force conducted their operations in Yancey County. His primary responsibility was to take care of the team members, which numbered around 100, in very dangerous conditions, which included mudslides and roads completely destroyed.

"This was our first encounter with a mudslide and washout area," Beeson said. "The mountain communities that we were working with, they were more prepared for disasters and being self-sufficient wasn't a new thing for them, they were ready."

Both spent a significant amount of time in the recovery effort, seeing people and communities at their worst, but it brought out the best in people.

"You just see the goodness of people," Beeson said. "We were here to rescue people and they are asking us what we need, it was amazing. It's just really good to see the good in mankind because
sometimes we forget there truly is good."

The first week GFHA did 125 medical checks, and that figure has grown to more than 200. They have distributed more than $700,000 to date in life-sustaining support ahead of the cold winter months. There is still a significant need as Crompton says "Winter is coming." She remains committed to helping out her home state as she just recently returned from her second deployment to Mitchell County this month.

"The day I left, a team found a whole community living under tarps and tents for 16 days. It was their first contact with people, and now it's freezing," Crompton said. "These are proud, rural mountain folk and as strong and resilient as they are, they still need a tremendous amount of assistance to get through this."

The situation is still dire and there are still many unmet needs in the western part of the state. You can donate through any of the links below.

Ground Force Humanitarian Aid (formerly Cajun Navy Ground Force)
Swift Intervention - Cajun Navy Ground Force
https://gocajunnavy.org

Little Switzerland Relief
Little Switzerland Relief NC - Supporting Mitchell Yancey & Avery Counties

https://www.ncdps.gov/how-to-donate
https://foodbankcenc.org/helene/

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