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EMS VOLUNTEERS TO HURRICANE AREA--Two Littlefield EMS staff are among these volunteers from Bailey County EMS, University Medical Center’s EMS, Covenant EMS, Scurry County EMS and Booker EMS, who assisted with evacuations before and during the Hurricane Marco and Laura storms. Tonya Saenz is on the front left, while Louisa Martinez is wearing the red shirt in the center front. They are the members of the EMTS AST1 Strike Team. (Littlefield EMS Photo) -
LITTLEFIELD EMS PERSONNEL, Tonya Saenz and Louisa Martinez with the Littlefield Ambulance in the line with others, while on duty in Texas and Louisiana as they were ready to evacuate people from the approaching hurricane storms. (Photo courtesy Littlefield EMS)
Two of Littlefield’s EMS staff joined EMS personnel from Bailey County, UMC’s EMS, Covenant Medical’s EMS, Scurry County EMS and Booker EMS, to form the EMTS AST 1 Region 1 Stike Team,
Tonya Saenz and Louisa Martinez took one of Littlefield’s Ambulances, and left Sunday, Aug. 23, for a full week of volunteering to evacuate nursing home residents and other people, to safer locations. Jonathan Sell of the Booker EMS was the team leader, as they went to offer assistance in Texas and Louisiana, during the double Hurricane Marco and Laura hurricane storms that came up through the Gulf of Mexico.
Their first stop was in Lubbock where they met to form the EMS F Strike Team.
From Lubbock, they stopped in San Antonio’s AT&T Stadium, for staging of ambulances, before being sent to Texas City.
The two Littlefield staff menbers, with their ambulance, received assignments to evacuate nursing homes in that area.
From Texas City, they went to La Porte, where they evacuated 13 patients from a nursing home, driving 3-1/2 hours to transport those patients to a Centerville nursing home.
They reported some of the patients that were evacuated, were transported to areas all over Texas, where space was available.
Later, when they went back to Texas City, there were 138 ambulances there, and 400 tour buses ready and available to transport people out of the storm’s way, after being told to leave.
The National Guard was also there to assist where they could.
When they were in Houston at NRG Stadium’s parking lot, Tonya and Louisa slept in the ambulance again, as they always did.
They were awakened at 4:30 that next morning, and joined a convoy of 53 ambulances that went back to Beaumont. They stayed there two days, waiting on assignments to pick up patients to be flown out by air ambulance to other places. Or they were to transport air ambulance flight crews to or from the airport, “or whatever they asked us to do.”
A loss of electrical power in that area, is what caused the evacuation teams having to deal with those residents who didn’t evacuate when they were advised to do so
Ȧfter a full week of being constantly on the move with assignments, the Littlefield team was able to leave for home, and they got back Sunday evening, Aug. 30.
Louisa and Tonya expressed their appreciation to the Littlefield community for all they did while they were volunteering.
“We appreciate all the prayers that were offered up for us, and for checking on our families back here at home.
“We’re thankful for having the opportunity to go and help.
“It was very impressive to see so many agencies come together and work so well together.
“It seems the whole United States came to Texas and Louisiana—before, during, and after the hurricanes blew in.
“Everyone down there were expressing their appreciation to us, all during the trip. People were honking and taking our pictures, whether we were parked or driving in a convoy,” they concluded, as they were remembering a full week of valuable memories.