They answered the call for help after seeing the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

"It was interesting to see how they coped with it all. Most of the people seemed really, really grateful just to be alive," said RN Kelly Buchanan.

Five nurses from Stevens Hospital went to the aid of hurricane victims. We first met them as they prepared for the trip despite a reality warning from the Red Cross.

"They painted a pretty bleak picture in our class yesterday. It's going to be deplorable, horrendous, horrific," said RN Lauri Maier at the time.

More than a month later, they know first hand it was no exaggeration.

"My first 24 hours there was exactly what they told us it would be. There was bugs, snakes, alligators, crime, everything you can imagine," Maier said now.

Maier ended up running a shelter in Texas for 474 people all by herself, until a FEMA team arrived almost a week later.

Buchanan and Amanda Wiggins helped take care of 600 victims flown to a shelter in Utah - where they found themselves also serving as veterinarians and social workers.

"I remember asking this one guy, 'I know this a really hard decision that people take months to do but do you want to live in Utah or do you want to go back to New Orleans? We have to make that decision right now.' And he did -- he stayed in Utah," said Wiggens.

They remember the work as exhausting and trying. One shower was just a hose and a tarp for more than 400 people.

But the faces of those they helped, and the fulfillment of bringing that help made it all worth it. Each says they would do it again in a heartbeat.

They may get that chance. The Red Cross just put out a call for 1,500 more nurses to help out.

As hospitals and nursing homes begin to re-open in the Gulf Region, they need help with staffing.