Hurricane Harvey made landfall late on August 25th as a Category 4 hurricane with a diameter of 280 miles and winds of 130 mph during its first landfall dumping nine trillion gallons of rainfall in just the first 24 hours. It hovered over many of us for ten days dumping 27 trillion gallons of water. Harvey busted the US record for rainfall from a single storm, dumping 51 inches of rain, even up to 67 inches in parts of Texas.

The images of devastation from Southeast Texas have been heartbreaking. Older people sitting half-submerged in retirement homes, awaiting rescue. Parents walking knee-deep in water with their children in their arms, and belongings balanced in bags on their heads. Families waiting on the rooftops of their homes, stranded by the flood.

Throughout all this, another picture emerged: of the resilience of the people of Texas, of the calm effectiveness of the entire Texas National Guard; of the "Cajun Navy" whose battalion of citizen boat owners from Louisiana who came ready to help; and our own communities responding regardless of race, ethnicity, education, income or political background, to an extreme set of circumstances. People of all walks of life and backgrounds helping one another.

The financial cost of Hurricane Harvey and the flooding that resulted will doubtless be shocking. But the courage, neighborliness and generosity that Texans and many from across the nation have demonstrated are humbling. Nature’s fury may be awesome, but humanity's resilience is greater still. That ought to be the real lesson from Texas.

Sláinte (health) to you,

Lisa Sicilio, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN

Schools are an ideal setting to teach and provide students with opportunities to practice healthy behaviors. School programs can use the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model to promote positive health behaviors and lessen negative health behaviors.

Power of the Purse is TSNO's state conference community fundraiser in which all proceeds will benefit the Star of Hope. Star of Hope began its life-changing work on July 1, 1907. They are dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless men, women and their children. Positive life changes are encouraged through structured programs which focus on spiritual growth, education, employment, life management and recovery from substance abuse.

We challenge all to donate a purse or even more! Let's fill the racks and raise money for the Star of Hope in Houston.

• Purse Donation:To make the silent auction process run smoothly, we will be collecting information electronically on your donations. Please go and "Sign up". You will have the opportunity to give a description and value of each purse. Please indicate if you are mailing or bringing to conference your donation.

Please bring your purse for donation to the conference registration desk by Thursday, Nov 9th or mail them along with your name, value and description of the purse to:

TSNO

819 W. Arapaho Rd., Suite 24B, #345

Richardson, TX 75080

This year's conference will offer a book club break-out session on the must read for nursing organizations, From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public (The Culture and Politics of Health Care Work) 3rd Edition.

From Silence to Voice helps nurses understand and overcome the self-silencing that often leads them to downplay their expertise and contributions to caring for the sick and the public's health. The authors, Bernice Buresh and Suzanne Gordon, teach nurse clinicians, nurse educators, and nurse researchers the critical skills needed to explain their work to other healthcare professionals, journalists, policymakers, and political representatives.

Grab a copy today if you wish to get a head start on the reading.