Written by: Zachary Olivos, BA, MS & Natalie Weiss, BA, BS

As I sat in a diner in Houston, I struggled to concentrate on the news broadcast covering Hurricane Ida’s course through Southeast Louisiana. I had only one thought on my mind, and that was when I could finally get back home to New Orleans and do something. My classmates shared my urgency. In the weeks since, I have largely returned to my normal life, focused on the work in front of me. And that is one of my biggest shortcomings. Once natural disasters have passed, we often forget to do the constant and boring work of sustained assistance. The time of greatest risk often comes long after the camera crews pack up and the donations stop flowing. The haunting echoes of our past experiences with Hurricane Katrina color our perception of the present with Hurricane Ida. Cycles repeat, until we learn our lessons from them. So, let me tell you what my time in the South has taught me.

The phalanx relied upon each soldier’s faith in the comrade to their right, who would use the shield on their left arm to protect not just their own body but that of their comrade. Enormous force could dissipate across this shield wall, and this simple formation enabled Alexander the Great to conquer the known world. I thought about the phalanx when I spent the week after Ida’s landfall with Cajun Navy Relief, tarping the roofs of first responders who were too busy serving the community to care for their own homes. I thought about it when I saw a state politician drive food that he and his wife had made to his hungry constituents, weeks removed from the power to cook for themselves, only to meet a downed tree blocking the only road into the neighborhood. I thought about it when I saw first responders using chainsaws to clear that road. I thought about the phalanx when, realizing our camp was flooding, a newly displaced volunteer swam through bacteria-infested water to clear debris from the drains, and save our supplies. 

There are times when action is needed. When hands are needed. When the act of protecting just one more person empowers them to do the same. And there are times when sustained aid is needed. In healthcare, we often are drawn to the superhero ideal. We idealize self-sacrifice and heroic effort, but I think the world more often needs a simpler, more communal form of heroism. 

Protect the neighbor to your left. And one day, when you need us, we will be there to answer. Occasionally, there come crises that render miracles feasible. Those miracles are manifestations of the communal spirit, and I can think of no more noble cause than that. We are all in healthcare because, on some level, we share that communal drive. More disasters are always coming, but no matter what, we will always have allies in each other, and that is a comforting thought indeed.