Hurricane Georges and New Orleans hospitals: preparing for a killer storm--Part I

Last year, the city of New Orleans, LA, was spared what could have been one of the greatest tragedies to ever befall a major American city. In September, Hurricane Georges, which had caused hundreds of deaths and massive destruction in the Caribbean, was heading straight toward New Orleans. The vicious storm had the strength to potentially submerge the low-lying city, protected only by levees. Although New Orleans escaped serious damage when Georges veered off at the last moment, the threat posed by the hurricane resulted in a massive evacuation. More than 1.5 million people were ordered or urged to vacate the city and coastal Louisiana, though not all complied. About 10,000 people took shelter in the Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints, while thousands more filled other designated shelters in the city. At local hospitals, people took refuge in offices, waiting rooms, conference rooms, hallways, and any other space available. In this report, we'll give details on how six hospitals and health facilities prepared to meet the hurricane, how they fared during the emergency, and how their disaster plans worked. Three of them are covered in this month's issue.