Again, I don't want to sound overly critical or insulting here, but I want to be clear on this point. What flexibility did she not have as an MD that others apparently had? Unless someone was forcing her to stay, it was still a decision she made to stay in harm's way when the prudent decision at the time was to leave early. I can understand and appreciate her dedication to patients in need, but I have to believe she took even greater risk trying to vacate town at such a late and obviously hopeless hour. She wouldn't have needed to stay at her place necessarily, just find a more suitable shelter and take her dog with her (certainly more problematic, but not impossible to find such a place). Better than being stranded on a roadside while the storm hits I gotta think.

With the limited information I have about your sister and her situation at the time, I would conclude she was very lucky that her decisions didn't place her in great peril. It would most certainly have been a tragic loss had she perished in the storm trying to flee as she did, and all the people who's lives she will some day save would then perhaps never receive the care she will still be able to provide.

I am sure MDs do feel a greater sense of responsibility to their clients than most professionals would. That should not diminish their capacity for making reasonable decisions about their own welfare.

Please convey my gratitude to your sister for her sacrifices. It is people like her that give us hope that humanity is worth the effort.