Come to work or get fired-Hurricane Irma!!!

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Wow!!! This notice was posted at my job!!! Show up or get fired!!!! Do any other LTC facilities have these kind of notices too?

Specializes in Med-Surg, Developmental Disorders.
Oh I forgot to mention something else very important on that Memo. They said nursing staff working during the Hurricane are responsible for bringing in their own food and water with them!!!

Good luck enforcing that. I doubt the person who came up with that gem will be working in the trenches with you. Also, you don't know how long this storm will last, not to mention how long the roads will be blocked and stores will be closed. How do you know how much food to pack? I have a sinking feeling that A) kitchen staff may not be on hand for this, so feeding the residents would fall to the nurses, along with everything else, and/or B) the facility may not have enough non perishable food and supplies to see the residents through the storm and are expecting to lean on food and supplies the nurses purchase and bring in. While nurses and aides would share their own food if a facility ran out, it almost seems like they are trying to utilize their staff as a source of supplies. I could be wrong about this, though. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, even my somewhat dysfunctional small town hospital provided food for staff.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
They'd have to fire me. Anyone who says we deserve to be fired can cover my shift for me.

People who say you deserve to be fired probably ARE covering your shift.

Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.
Oh I forgot to mention something else very important on that Memo. They said nursing staff working during the Hurricane are responsible for bringing in their own food and water with them!!!

I don't know about Florida, but here in Georgia, this is a serious regulatory violation. The facilities here are REQUIRED to maintain AT LEAST a 3-day food and water supply to sustain the residents AND those required to care for them in the event of emergency situations.

I work in a state that is plagued by hurricanes. We have a code yellow which alerts the emergency preparedness. We are divided in teams such as A, B, C and are called out before, and after the storm. If you are on B team you are required to stay during. Of course we evacuate as many as we can first and those unable to evacuate, we move to higher floors.

Specializes in LTC Family Practice.

I currently live in NE GA where a snow/ice event is rare, so rare that chains are illegal in this state and you can't even buy them. But several years ago while working as a PRN patient sitter/tech a snow/ice event was forecast. I called staffing and asked if they'd like me to come in a head of the storm as I doubted I could get out if the event happened as predicted. I was told I would have to PAY for my own hotel room which would have costed more than I would have made on a shift! No support what so ever. Well we had a really big snow storm for us and several inches of ice on top of it. I live rural and I couldn't get out was trapped in my home without power for several days. So I was off when the storm started but I had signed up for a shift now keep in mind it's PRN we called 2 hours before the shift started and if there was a patient we got the shift. No patient no shift. I couldn't afford several days of hotel room and food ect. The next day when I woke to the snow/ice and knew I was going to be stuck for several days I did call and tell them my situation giving them warning yet when my shift came up I was still trapped and couldn't get out and I wasn't fired but I got a huge ding on my record. If the facility isn't going to help us with hotel rooms and no guarantee of a shift ~ I certainly couldn't afford to pay for a room that would be more than I'd make for a shift and not get paid at all.

OP, please come back and update us when you can. I'm interested in finding out how things are going.

I survived!!! My power came back on this morning. When I was walking down the stairs to get into my car to go to work I saw sparks coming out of the electric wires-snap crackle and pop sounds were heard!!! We were under a Hurricane warning, tornado warning and flash flood warning!!! I made it to work on time for my shift. I really lucked out-no trees in the roads when I drove to work. I did not get stuck over at work. The day shift arrived on time and I left on time!!! It was heartbreaking on the way home. Mostly just emergency crews on the roads. Lots and lots of trees had fallen in the road. I had to stop my car and wait for 3 hours while they got rid of huge trees out of the road. I was also told by a police officer that it was safe to drive my car thru a "flooded area". I was horrified but I went ahead and drove thru the flooded area and was OK. Nursing Management did show up for the disaster and they had no food or water available for staff.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Developmental Disorders.
I survived!!! My power came back on this morning. When I was walking down the stairs to get into my car to go to work I saw sparks coming out of the electric wires-snap crackle and pop sounds were heard!!! We were under a Hurricane warning, tornado warning and flash flood warning!!! I made it to work on time for my shift. I really lucked out-no trees in the roads when I drove to work. I did not get stuck over at work. The day shift arrived on time and I left on time!!! It was heartbreaking on the way home. Mostly just emergency crews on the roads. Lots and lots of trees had fallen in the road. I had to stop my car and wait for 3 hours while they got rid of huge trees out of the road. I was also told by a police officer that it was safe to drive my car thru a "flooded area". I was horrified but I went ahead and drove thru the flooded area and was OK. Nursing Management did show up for the disaster and they had no food or water available for staff.

I'm glad you were okay! Your facility really should have let you come in like the day before the hurricane was set to hit and stay for the duration. It also sucks that they had no food or supplies available for staff. Still, it's good that management actually showed up and are actually following the same ridiculous rules you had to follow. It's good that you waited for the police to give the okay before driving on a flooded road. Maybe your facility can use this as a learning experience for the next disaster.

I see signs like that all the time. Facility just want staff to make proper arrangement for people to be at work. I would try my best to get to work before a hurricane starts. If I live an hour a way and someone else lives closer you could probably swap. There is no way to prepare for being at work two days a hurricane is coming, especially when you work 11-7 the day before and the hurricane done hit 12:00pm. I have a life outside that facility as well. My responsibility is to keep myself safe and family. Now if inclement weather hit during my work hours that's a different story. You have to be accountable for people's lives due to someone who can't make it in and should have been there. It's always good to make prior arrangement even if you have to bring your family to the facility.

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