Hurricane coming: evacuate or stay and work?

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Specializes in med/sug/onc/geri.

Since I can't do polls, I just wondered: Imagine you live in the area where a major hurricane is predicted to hit soon. Do you evacuate, or stay and work? I know this is NOT hypothetical for some of you right now with Gustav, and my prayers are with you all! But I just wondered what the general consensus would be.

Me: I run. I am NOT leaving my children in that kind of danger after seeing what happened with Katrina, and I don't care if they fire me. You?

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Specializes in OB.

A very real issue for many right now!

My response would be based on my personal situation - no one dependent on me for their well being - so I would opt to stay, since others need to provide for the safety of their family.

After the legal aftermath for those who stayed during Katrina, even though they were eventually vindicated, I'd understand why many would refuse to stay!

To all of you in the path - take care in whatever way is best for you and please check back in to let us know you are okay!

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Specializes in ICU, MICU, SICU.

Honestly, I'd leave. I work less than a block from the beach, so if there was a major hurricane to hit here we'd be screwed. My hospital has evacuation plans and hopefully they would have evacuated before things got rough. But, I'm not coming into work if I know that a major hurricane is going to hit while I'm there... I'm just not.

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Specializes in Utilization Review.

My car will be the one right behind you with the 5 screaming kids.

My place is with my family, SAFE. If they tell me to evacuate, I'm gonna evacuate. Without a doubt in my mind. The job would be the last thing I worry about in a crisis like that. I certainly wouldn't abandon my patients if I were there for duty already. But let's say that I wouldn't be there to put myself in that position to begin with. I'd have likely planned ahead and called out. I can't be much more honest than that.

Bless everyone in the south who is going through this terrible scenerio right now. My thoughts are with you, and I hope you don't have to decide between your family or evacuations/staying at your hospital to work, etc.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

What happened at Oschner in New Orleans was they divided critical staff -- docs, nurses, RT, etc. -- into 3 teams. A team stayed, B and C teams left town so they'd be able (alive) to come back once the storm was over. Oschner really had its Disaster Recovery plan together; they even had 3 backup generators, not just one. They learned from Hurricane Floyd, where people stayed behind because there was no shelter that would take their pets -- Oschner provided for their staff's pets by making places for them in the parking garage (the animals stayed in crates).

Stories from Katrina at Oschner:

http://www.rsna.org/Publications/rsnanews/nov05/katrina.cfm

For those in the bullseye for Gustav -- God Bless, and get out if you can.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Tele, ER.

I'd tell my boys to hit the road and I would stay and work.

At least, hypothetically. In a real situation, where I'd be afraid for the safety of my family and I, I just hope I would live up to my expectations of myself. Everyone has a unique situation, and I respect the decisions one is forced to make in those circumstances. I'm very thankful never to have been faced with such a situation. We're people just like everyone else, and "just" getting yourself and your family through such an ordeal in one piece is an act of bravery. I wish that "RN" made me a superhero, but I'm certain it did not. When our health and safety are on the line, the only people that can make that decision is us. I would hope we may live with those decisions without being judged harshly by others, and without making judgments on ourselves.

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Same. Stay if my family is safe, call off if I have to see to my loved ones.

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Hurricanes aren't an issue here, ever, but I have gone in during literal blizzards, when only critical personnel - such as nurses - were permitted to be on the roads.

I don't know. I would probably tell my husband to take the critters and hit the road and go to work with a duffel bag, prepared to work around the clock.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, Surgical ICU, Medical ICU.

I have no children, just a husband and 2 cats. Honsestly I'd bring my husband with me AND our cats, put em up in the highest level of the parking garage, and wait it out. I know DH wouldnt leave me by myself anyway. I would want those with children to be able to leave before me as they definately need that support through something so horrific.

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Specializes in ER, Outpatient PACU and School Nursing.

it really all depends for me- cat 2 or lower I will stay and work, along with dh who works for the FD. anything that is a cat 2 or higher- my dad will take the kids to Ga, NC, etc. Now if its a cat 3 or higher- Im leaving and going with them. Im per diem and its up to each manager to decide whether to use us. I think my dept is the only one that makes the per diems work. I most likely would be suspended, etc but I dont think the hurricane list was put in by the May deadline per the union contract this year and it just went out last week to sign which I havent even received yet. ( I wasnt even asked which team I wanted to be on and they put me on the A team again) anyhow as years prior when they tried to fire, etc the union stepped in and they didnt lose their jobs since it wasnt turned in on time. I was there for both frances and jean and the hospital was falling apart between the water and trees crashing into the windows,etc It was scary- not too mention no water afterwards to flush, etc. :scrying: My mom is currently a traveler on the west coast of La and her hospital finally told her to evacaute a hour ago. she is trying to get to Baton Rouge to a fellow traveler's place for the night and than tomorrow to oxford, ms where my aunt lives. Im praying she will be out of harm's way. Gustav looks powerful and deadly..

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.

I stay and work. I have always lived in hurricane zones and have stayed and worked through 2 of them. They have free daycare at the hospital where your kids can be alot of the time. Many leave the kids with spouses.I think as nurses we have a responsibility that people who work other jobs dont neccessarily have. And it really puts the people who do show up in a pretty bad position when certain people decide that they can just leave and we are all working short in a bad situation. The places I have worked not showing up for your shift during a hurricane is grounds for dismissal.

That being said, I may feel different if I worked in New Orleans. That place is not up to getting hit by a hurricane at all.I think the hospitals in those areas should be closed during hurricanes because they are not fit to hold up during the storm. The hospitals I have worked at in hurricane zones are actually relatively safe to be at compared to the rest of the city (I am talking about Mobile), plus you get to keep power.

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Specializes in trauma, ortho, burns, plastic surgery.

I will think at you! Just you could decide for your life, nobody else can do it and you need to assume all in all the decision, whatever it is. You could not build under the night a HERO, he/she IS THE ONE...and yes the heros could...some times to die. Now is your choice! Pray with all my heart for you all! :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

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