A Clark State nursing grad put his kayak in the water to help rescue about a dozen families in Houston.
Kyle Scarbrough, a registered nurse who works at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center in Austin, Texas, said he felt to compelled to help.
“I started hearing the reports from Houston, and I had my gear and kayak with me,” he said. “On a whim, I drove into the middle of Houston ... and flagged down a group of rescue boats. I joined them for about 16 hours of rescue missions,” he said, according to a media release from his alma mater, Clark State Community College.
RELATED: News Center 7 crew in Texas: Floods frightening, victims so optimistic
At night official rescue efforts are suspended, when he and his team worked with the Cajun Navy, a group of volunteers assisting with rescue efforts.
News of his volunteer efforts came as no surprise to Mary Cornell, associate professor of registered nursing for Clark State Community College-Springfield Regional School of Nursing.
RELATED: Dayton Public Schools athletics aids Hurriane Harvey victims
“That’s the kind of person Kyle is,” she said. “He has those qualities that you want in a nurse: a caring spirit and a critical thinker. I am very proud of him.”
Scarbrough also was called to assist in a shelter housing evacuated nursing home and hospital patients, Clark State reported.
RELATED: EMTs from Preble County respond to Texas
“Service and volunteering, even in our own communities, gives a sense of purpose and broader perspective of the world,” Scarbrough said.
HOW TO HELP
Clark State is collecting funds to donate to the Greater Houston Community Foundation's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner established the fund. The Clark State Student Senate already has donated $250.
