A travel nurse from the Philadelphia area got stationed in North Carolina – then Hurricane Helene hit
A traveling nurse from the Philadelphia area cared for patients at a North Carolina hospital that was hit by Helene. Now she's collecting resources to help others.
Nurse Kendall Sharkey was only two months on the job at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina when Hurricane Helene hit on Sept. 26.
She was mandated to stay overnight.
"About 4 in the morning, the fire alarm went off for about 30-40 minutes," Sharkey said. "I was like, 'Would somebody shut that off?' Turns out the transmitter had blown up, there was a fire. And that's when we lost power."
Despite having no power or running water, Sharkey, along with her coworkers, still had to care for patients in the hospital. And then they were hit with an influx of injured residents.
"Every two to five minutes, a new ambulance was pulling up," Sharkey said.
Sharkey said they saw up to 400 people at one time inside the hospital's emergency room.
"They were airlifting patients out to other hospitals and to outside states make room. But the damage went beyond the hospital," Sharkey said.
Homes were shredded apart or washed away, roads left barely drivable or underwater.
Sharkey and her boyfriend found safety four hours away at family's home, but she still had to commute everyday back and forth to work. But she didn't arrive empty handed.
She stocked up on supplies to give out to those who were stuck in Asheville.
"Between GoFundMe and Venmo, I ended up raising $14,000. We have taken multiple truck loads back with us of donations," Sharkey said.
As parts of the hospital were eventually back up and running, Sharkey was notified her job as a nurse was being eliminated.
"I just found out Friday that they have too much staff. And because some of the units are shut down from not adequate water access, they just let go a 126 nurses, me included," Sharkey said.
Sharkey's last day on the job is next Tuesday.
While she looks for work, she is still dedicated to collecting donations to help others.