Naples woman provides medical assistance in Texas after Harvey

NAPLES, Fla. A woman from Naples is providing medical attention to hundreds of victims in the wake of Harvey.

Harvey weakened to a tropical depression Wednesday evening, but flooding continued in parts of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, according to the Associated Press. There have been 25 confirmed deaths.

Susan Mangicaro is the global disaster response program coordinator for the Heart to Heart organization, a nonprofit organization that provides remote emergency medical care and crisis relief worldwide.

“People have lost everything,” she said. “Their homes, their food and some family members.”

Mangicaro and other volunteers set up a tent in Victoria, about an hour away from Houston.

“This is in a region far enough away from flooding, but were seeing the magnitude of something much, much bigger than we typically do,” she said.

The aftermath of Harvey reminded Mangicaro of the six months she spent in New Orleans delivering critical care in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

“We’re seeing a lot of wound injuries, punctures, people end up stepping on nails,” she said.

Most of the hospitals are shut down, Mangicaro said. The heart to heart organization is providing hundreds of tetanus shots and they’re treating fractures and sprains.

The next major concern will be dealing with water-born illnesses like cholera, Mangicaro said.

Mangicaro isn’t sure when she’ll be returning to Naples, but she is prepared for anything.

Volunteers solicit donations in Naples

A volunteer group of City Naples employees has set up a donation box at City Hall.

The group, called Concern, will match the first $500 raised for Harvey victims. The proceeds will go to a charity yet to be determined.

City Hall is at 735 Eighth St. S.