Natural disasters have long-term effects on universities and communities. Statistics show that the number of natural disasters has increased 44 percent from the 1994 to 2000 average and is projected to increase in the coming years (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, 2015). Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, made landfall on the South Texas Coast in August 2017. The hurricane generated the most significant rainfall event in US history since the 1880s, triggering extensive flooding in Southeast Texas. Southeast Texas communities faced mandatory evacuations, loss of electricity, loss of drinkable water, and loss of homes and possessions. Thousands were displaced, and more than 80 deaths were attributed to the storm (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). In Southeast Texas, over 110,000 structures were flooded, and many more had moderate damage. Many communities were isolated for days due to high water on roads and damaged infrastructures. With one major hospital evacuated and closed due to nonpotable water, Hurricane Harvey had an impact on all local hospital services.
The loss of one's home, the disruption of regular routines, and the loss of sense of security led to psychological trauma not only for direct victims but also for coworkers and others significant to affected individuals. The avoidance of long-term effects depends on the nature of the caring response from support systems. The Joanne Gay Dishman School of Nursing (SON) at Lamar University focused its efforts on providing caring support to faculty and nursing students during this unprecedented crisis.
IMPACT ON THE SON
Lamar University, located in Southeast Texas, has a diverse population of approximately 14,500 students. The SON has two programs of study that offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. Total enrollment of on-campus nursing students is 320, with 330 in the online programs.
Student retention and the impact to faculty after a natural disaster can pose a challenge to any university. Strategies to promote retention of students and assist with faculty needs become paramount, and it is important to have a plan of action in place to prepare for such an event. Our SON faculty and staff faced the challenge of communicating with and retaining students while meeting the needs of students and faculty who had been displaced from their homes and incurred personal losses. Hurricane Harvey significantly impacted approximately 50 prelicensure students (16 percent) and seven faculty and staff (25 percent). Many of their homes had up to 8 feet of water, and many also lost their cars.
The modeling and role-modeling (MRM) theory provided a framework for the SON's approach to the situation (Erickson, Tomlin, & Swain, 1983). Understanding the worldview of those affected by the hurricane helped the SON plan response strategies that would facilitate the mobilization of resources. The MRM adaptive potential model proposes that one's response to a stressor is dependent upon self-care knowledge and resources. The hurricane and ensuing losses elicited a stress response; an individual's ability to adapt to or cope with stress is influenced by internal and external resources. Our goal was to help our students and faculty achieve adaptive equilibrium by instilling a sense of hope, optimism, and perceived control (internal resources) and ensuring an awareness of support resources (external resources).
RESPONDING TO THE SITUATION
Based on the theoretical propositions of the MRM, the SON team made communication a priority and began with an assessment of student and faculty needs. We posted updates on our online course management platform to inform students of hurricane relief efforts and academic calendar modifications. Updates to the SON Facebook page communicated ways that the general population could assist nursing students. The SON established a command center to track the location of students and faculty whose needs were varied and often overwhelming and monitor their safety.
Assistance with a variety of pressing issues was needed, including help gutting homes and bringing water-logged belongings to the curb for removal. One faculty member with extensive disaster preparedness and community nursing experience met with affected faculty members to offer advice on insurance matters and available community resources. Immediately following the storm, the university offered vacant dorms to affected faculty. One nurse faculty member who took advantage of the housing stated that she also received financial support from the Lamar University Fund. Not only was housing a concern, but many students had lost possessions including textbooks, uniforms, and other equipment. Offers of help came in from the local community and from the nursing community at large.
The SON decided to approach the challenge in two ways. First, we began taking in donations of clothing, textbooks, uniforms, and a variety of household goods. The donations came from the local community, SON alumni, and nursing academic programs across the country. An empty suite of offices in the nursing building was set up as a free "store" for students, faculty, and staff who needed basic essentials. Meanwhile, to facilitate textbook, stethoscope, and uniform donations, a SON University Nursing Group was set up on Amazon. Affected students made a "wish list" of specific items; donors purchased items from the list that were shipped to the SON for distribution to students.
GETTING BACK TO NORMAL
We continued to be concerned for students who had experienced disruption and separation from their usual support systems, lost property, and participated in traumatic rescues. The fall semester was delayed for two weeks, and course schedules were adjusted to accommodate the delay. Faculty reached out to students through our online learning management system to present simple learning activities and reading assignments to help students reengage in their coursework. Faculty teaching on campus used a variety of strategies to assist students, including the posting of videos of lectures and study guides. Faculty for online courses adjusted due dates for assignments and explained the situation to students who lived out of the local area.
When the campus reopened and classes resumed, the SON created a "welcome back" banner for the entrance to the building. Faculty volunteers distributed food and snacks to nursing students as they entered and provided information about resources available through the SON and the university.
The most important outcome of Hurricane Harvey was that no students or faculty lost their lives in this event. No prelicensure student withdrawals were experienced, and the 16 seniors who were directly affected by the hurricane were able to take the NCLEX(R)-RN and pass on the first attempt. In fact, for the entire class, the first-time pass rate was 97 percent at the time this article was written. The SON was given the opportunity to delay a previously scheduled visit by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, but faculty determined we were well prepared for the visit and decided to proceed. The SON received a full eight-year accreditation for the undergraduate and graduate programs six weeks after the disaster. Several faculty are currently conducting research on individuals impacted by the storm.
LESSONS LEARNED
Looking back on Hurricane Harvey, we discovered that many things were done well. However, we faced some unanticipated obstacles that we will keep in mind in planning for future events. Creating a current contact information list accessible for staff, faculty, and students who lack electricity and Internet services is important for effective communication. Developing a communication plan, such as a contact tree, would be an efficient strategy.
Multiple groups and agencies asked if they could be of assistance after the event. Being specific with needs will ensure that donated items are not accumulated in excess and that donations are routed to those with the most pressing need. Keeping a log of donations, with contact information, will be helpful in acknowledging donors. Similarly, keeping a log of those who received donations and those still needing assistance would be helpful.
It is important to acknowledge that everyone in the community is impacted in some way by a natural disaster and recovery is slow. As of the writing of this article, some students and faculty are still living with family or friends. However, we are rebuilding, relocating, and supporting each other. We have made it work through communication, critical thinking, and collaboration.
One student stated that because of the support students received, "being personally contacted by faculty to receiving textbooks and uniforms that were destroyed by the storm, no student felt as if they were alone. Due to the extraordinary efforts of the SON as a whole, every single nursing student felt confident in the fact that we were going to return to school and finish the degree we started." Another stated, "If it was any other school I don't think I would've survived. Had it been any other school that doesn't have as many caring instructors, staff, and students, I know that there is no way I could've made it, no possible way."
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