Hurricane Irma ravaged the French and Dutch Caribbean island of St. Martin.
Nine people were killed, almost every structure was destroyed and communication was knocked out.
That left a North Texas mother worried sick about her daughter.
Worried, until she found out the good deeds the medical student has been taking on in the dangerous conditions.
“I just want my baby home,” said Neeta Shah of Plano.
Since Monday, Shah has been holding on to her cell phones and her faith.
“In my bed, just sitting like this. No TV, nothing. Just sitting like this and just praying,” she said. “Crying and praying. Crying and praying.”
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
She’s been waiting for word on her daughter.
Tina Sharma is a medical student at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Martin.
Shah has had little to no communication with her daughter since Monday.
“My heart was just pounding,” she said. “Until I heard from her, a very short ‘mom, I’m ok. I’m alive.’”
The Plano mother would soon find out through others that not only was her 23-year-old daughter alive, she was doing something.
“Were you able to get in touch with Tina,” read a message to Shah. “She’s safe and making us all proud by setting up a rescue mission off campus.”
Sharma has been helping those injured during the storm, working non-stop for three days.
“God placed her there so she could be of help to save lives and that made me feel a little more comfortable,” said Shah.
On Saturday, the U.S. military evacuated Sharma and other students from St. Martin to Puerto Rico.
In a video message provided to NBC 5, Sharma said: “I’m so glad and honored and truly humbled to be a leader of a medical team handling all of the patients not only at AUC, but all of the island of St. Martin.”
“That’s my daughter,” said Shah. “That’s my hero.”
Work and dedication that is making all of the uncertainty and time apart worth it in the end.
“She will turn into the best doctor I know,” said Shah. “And to know that she is our very own, from Plano, Plano senior, raised in Texas. I think she is making all of us very proud.”
Sharma said she and her classmates will be flown to the U.S. on chartered flights on Sunday.
As for St. Martin, the island was spared a direct hit by Hurricane Jose on Saturday.
The State Department issued travel advisories for U.S. citizens on the island of St. Martin on Saturday. Residents have been urged to shelter in place and not to travel to the airport unless they have departure plans.
Hundreds of additional soldiers were deployed to the French territory of St. Martin. The island’s jail was also reportedly destroyed and its 250 inmates remained at large.
