Of the thousands of folks who stepped in to help others in Friday’s earthquake, I would like to send a special shout-out to two groups:
1. The teachers, employees and school-age child care staff at Bear Valley Elementary School. They got the 100 or so kids in and around the school safely through the earthquake, then calmly but quickly evacuated through the snow and dark to the nearby fire station for parents to pick up. Kudos for preparation, nerves of steel, and soothing demeanors!
2. The nurses, physicians, environmental service crew, all the folks in engineering and facilities crews, as well as all other staff at Providence and Alaska Regional Hospital. I cannot imagine how terrifying it was to have the building rocking with pipes bursting during that time. But no one abandoned their patients, and by the time I got to Providence an hour later, it was down to damp carpet and missing ceiling tiles. Thank you all for your bravery and your dedication to your patients!
Megan Clancy, M.D.
Anchorage
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