Latest news with #LifeSaver
GMA Network
22-05-2025
- Climate
- GMA Network
3 dead in Australia after torrential rain ravages rural towns
A woman holds a bag at a flooded house as she is rescued by a rescue personnel in Pampoolah, New South Wales, Australia, May 21, 2025 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter/Handout via REUTERS SYDNEY, Australia - Flash flooding on Australia's southeast coast has killed three people and cut off towns, isolating tens of thousands of residents, as officials on Thursday warned more downpours were expected over the next 24 hours. Major flooding hit several rural towns in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, with most of the Mid North Coast region facing further heavy rainfall through Thursday. Police said the body of a 63-year-old man was found in a flooded home near Taree, more than 300 km (186 miles) north of Sydney, while another body believed to be that of a missing man aged in his 30s had been discovered in flood waters on the Mid North Coast. The body of a 60-year-old woman was also found in her vehicle west of Coffs Harbour, police said. The woman had been cautioned against driving through the floods by an officer late on Wednesday, before becoming trapped and calling for help. Emergency services were unable to locate her in time. Police said they were still searching for a missing man. "This natural disaster has been terrible for this community," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said during a media briefing. "There's 140 flood warnings, 50,000 people are in the range where they have been asked to prepare to evacuate and could be isolated, and there's been 9,500 properties in the direct vicinity. So, we're far from out of the woods here." More than 100 schools were closed on Thursday, while thousands of properties remained without power. Cundletown in the Mid North Coast has been entirely cut off by floods, said Nicole Sammut, a nurse caring for 67 elderly residents at an aged care home, which is also being used as a shelter by emergency teams. "I came to work on Tuesday and haven't left," Sammut told Reuters. "We are up on a hill but behind us is all water. We are isolated. I've never seen the water this high." The Manning River in nearby Taree had exceeded a 100-year-old flood record, emergency authorities said. Sherinah Peck was evacuated at 2 a.m. on Wednesday from her farmhouse on the river, but her belongings were swept away, with some furniture later washing up on the coast. As she searched Old Bar beach on Thursday, strewn with debris and dead and lost livestock, for a treasured bicycle that belonged to her late mother, Peck was knocked over by a cow and injured, she said. "The cow was distressed - a wave came. I had to scramble up the sand," she told Reuters. More heavy rain A slow-moving coastal trough has dumped about four months of rain over the past two days, cutting off entire towns and stranding residents on roofs and the second floors of their homes, as rescuers struggle to access the area by boat or air. Minns apologised to people who had to wait for several hours for rescue crews, but assured efforts had been ramped up with 2,500 emergency services personnel being deployed. Around 590 flood rescues had been carried out, dozens of them by helicopter, NSW Police said. The helicopters have also been directing more boat rescues. "Some significant rescues have been made but unfortunately we have lost a number of lives," Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said in a press conference. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology forecast that some areas could receive up to 200 mm (8 inches) of rain through Friday, triggering life-threatening flash flooding, before the weather system is expected to weaken and track south towards Sydney. — Reuters
Newsweek
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
People Are Speechless as Nurses Week Gift Goes Viral: 'Rather Be Ignored'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A gift an employee received to commemorate Nurses Week has left the internet reeling. The Redditor, u/psychRN1975, took to the platform to share the token of appreciation they were given: a small plastic bag containing matches, a life saver, a Starburst, a paperclip, rubber bands, and a tootsie toll. "Nurses week .... I'd rather just be ignored ty," she wrote in the subreddit "mildly infuriating," where the post quickly went viral, amassing over 86,000 upvotes. The gift came with a note attempting to give meaning to each item: " light your fire when you are burnt out, Life remind you of the times you have been one, the burst of energy you will need, hold it all together, Rubber Remind you that flexibility is key. Tootsie help you roll with the punches." While well-intentioned, many online saw the gesture as tone-deaf and redundant—a symbolic gesture that felt more like a formality than true appreciation. What Is Nurses Week? Nurses Week, recognized annually from May 6 through May 12, is a time to honor the critical contributions of nurses across the country. The celebration focuses on recognizing nurses' tireless efforts and the impact they have on patients and communities, according to the American Nurses Association. Expert Insight Katie Bull, MSN, EdD, RN, and founder of The Bullish Nurse, told Newsweek the issue goes deeper than a questionable gift. "These lack-luster gifts are not about bad gift-giving, it's what they represent. I hear from thousands of nurses and the frustration is centered on hospitals enjoying the optics of nurse appreciation while ignoring the realities of unsafe staffing, workplace violence prevention, stagnant pay, and lack of real resources to address burnout and nurse mental health needs," she said. "Appreciation without action feels less like gratitude and more like a growing disconnect between the lived experiences of bedside nurses and hospitals' portrayal of nurses as heroes." A stock image of a fed up nurse outside of a hospital. A stock image of a fed up nurse outside of a hospital. dragana991/iStock / Getty Images Plus Reddit Reacts The post sparked a chorus of discontent from healthcare workers and supporters alike. "Damn. Were they too cheap to spring for doughnuts?" asked one user. "Honestly a great point. I would (personally) feel more appreciated by donuts than a soulless baggie trying to pretend meaningful," another wrote. "I once got a scratch-off from management for working hard on Black Friday. I was told it would either say 'good job' or '$20 gift card' and thought that was a joke and it would just be a gift card. It said good job," shared another commenter. "This year one of the techs bought the donuts for the nurses. Healthcare was treated better before COVID. Then they called us 'heroes.' Guess that was just justification for them to treat us worse," one user reflected. And the issue isn't exclusive to nursing. "Oh hey, we got the EXACT same thing for teachers week," another chimed in. Newsweek reached out to u/psychRN1975 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case. Have you had a workplace dilemma? Let us know via life@ We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
