Local paramedic assists in hurricane relief

By JESSICA HARDIN

jhardin@vindy.com

CORTLAND

Though Hurricane Michael only briefly captured the nation’s attention, Cortland firefighter/paramedic Todd Metzendorf said that it will take decades for the affected area to rebuild.

“We’re not talking months or years,” he said.

Metzendorf assisted with the relief effort for two weeks as a member of a disaster medical assistance team.

The teams, which are comprised of medical professionals from around the country, operate under the Department of Health and Human Services.

While in Florida, Metzendorf worked in four cities taking care of nursing home patients, assisting in a Red Cross shelter, receiving patients from search and rescue teams and treating patients in a local emergency room.

“During the beginning, it was more injuries sustained during the hurricane. As days went by, we treated people with chronic illnesses that haven’t had their medication,” Metzendorf said

Metzendorf described the area hit by the hurricane as “a 60-mile wide stretch of nothing.”

Treating patients in the context of such a tragedy often requires more than treating physical ailments.

“You learned to have your ears open more. If you let people talk about their experience, it helps them out more than just medical treatment,” Metzendorf said.

But the disaster also takes a toll on the volunteers.

“This time worked well, because when I came back, I had the next day off. It’s nice to decompress,” Metzendorf said.

The relief effort is not limited to those who travel to the site of a disaster, Metzendorf said; it extends to the local people who step up in the absence of relief workers.

“People don’t realize in a big disaster, it’s actually a nationwide effort. Just medical-wise, we had 400 people down there from throughout the U.S. That’s 400 people who have to be replaced at their real time jobs,” Metzendorf said.

To people who want to assist in when natural disasters hit but cannot physically volunteer, Metzendorf said, “Donate to your favorite charity.”