Hurricane coming: evacuate or stay and work?

texasnurse46 · Sep 2, 2008

Good Luck, Sometimes it's difficult to convince people it's better to be safe than sorry. Watching the storms, praying for the best, preparing for the worse.

NurseExec · Sep 2, 2008

We are, once again, in hurricane mode--with Hanna definitely coming our way, Ike and Josephine possibly. We have activated our plan, and all department heads will be moving into the facility on Thursday until the whole thing is over. Fortunately, my staff know what they have to do, and I have only had to terminate three staff members in the last 5 years for failing to show up for a scheduled shift while in emergency staffing mode.

My heart goes out to those who had to evac for Gustav, I'm praying that we don't have to bug out....

jstbreathe · Sep 3, 2008

I live on the Gulf Coast. At my Hospital we have a pre/post team and a during team.

pre/post team: come in and work when hosp goes on alert, so the during team can get things together at home. And SUPPOSED to come in and work after the 'all clear' as been announced. (tv, website)

during team: works during the storm, goes home after 'all clear' and when the post team has been in contact with hosp.

I work the during. Though its harder on my husband, to evacuate with kids and pets. I think it is easier to be home with family after storm when no power & water and during clean up. And, when gas is soooo hard to get after storm (no power) its easier to stay home til power back on.

Though.....our pre/post team isn't working out. No one wants to come in. And director isn't making them.

Now we are watching IKE. Hoping he don't come in the Gulf!

jstbreathe · Sep 3, 2008

'58flyer'

I live in Pascagoula and work in Gulfport. Just wanted to say Thank you! I worked during Katrina, finding out before the phones went down that my house flooded! My family was safe, they had evacuated.

The entire Mississippi coast line was gone.

I worked during Gustav. It appears that most of south western mississippi is under water once again. But, you wont hear it on the news. All you will hear about is our neighboring state!

jstbreathe · Sep 3, 2008

From those who have been through several storms in Miami (Andrew)...Katrina was not a very strong storm compared to. It was not a Category 5 when it made landfall...it was a Cat 3. What made it worse was the way NO is set-up. Had it hit a place like south florida you would not have seen anything close to the destruction you saw in NO. I think that is what the poster was saying when they said is was not a serious storm...in itself. The circumstances in New Orleans COUPLED with the storm made it what it was...i still wonder to this day had Katrina maintained itself as a Cat 5...would NO still be there???
Mex

HOLY COW! I can certainly tell you Katrina was a 'big deal' to those of us that lost everything. Those of us who worked during the storm, listened to the stories the ' survivors' told when they walked in the the ED naked b/c their clothes were washed off them. IT was a big deal to the people that clung to trees for 14 hours during the storm, while the 30 foot storm surge battered them. The people who died after the storm from exposure to salt water for sooooo long. Those of us who went home to nothing!!!! To the people who lived in tents for months after.

And, I can certainly tell you it was a big deal to my children. My children who lost EVERYTHING!!! My children who packed everything they could think of to evacuate for gustav. B/c they didn't want to lose it AGAIN!!! IT was a big deal to those it affected!! Be considerate!!:stone

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2008

it appears that most of south western mississippi is under water once again. but, you wont hear it on the news. all you will hear about is our neighboring state!

it's a shame, really. i love mississippi dearly, and i have friends sprinkled all over the state, including ocean springs and bay st. louis. i did katrina relief in new orleans and have a heart for that city as well, but there's just something about mississippi, ya know?

i know the media may be ignoring y'all, but you're in this gal's thoughts and prayers!

ole miss rebel at heart -

jess

csason · Sep 3, 2008

We lost our home to Hurricane Francis-Utterly numbing to the mind and soul. Six weeks later we were living in a different state. It took six months for our homeowners ins. make payment. Living for weeks with no electricty, no phone, no cell phone, no fresh foods, no water and flaring tempers, rotting trash because their was no pick-up, ANYWHERE....
Never, never would I want anyone to go through this.
Hurricane Francis was more than just a "rainstorm".

I was contracting to the utility companies, and lived in Lakeland for

Frances Charlie and Jeanne..The eye of all three passed right over my house.

I am sorry you had such a hard time, all of those storms had

some serious results.. I have had to learn the hard way through my post

(that I should have deleted..I guess) that not everyone has the same impression I have had about hurricanes..

I remember Donna back in the sixties, before 911, before cable, before color TV, before FEMA..and my parents allowed us to go out during the eye- My sister's Corvair was sitting upside down.

We lost our roof during Frances...but I guess I am just calloused to hurricanes. I have been to dozens of 'hurricane parties' and as a high school kid, we would take our four wheel drive trucks to low places and pull peoples cars out.

For those unfamiliar with hurricanes and tropical storms, it is quite a shock.

My house has been set up for no power for years..as soon as it goes out the generator kicks in. We also bought a very old structure, because it has been through many hurricanes.

We live on the 'ridge' so, although we don't deal with the coastal issues, we get all the tornadoes.

58flyer · Sep 4, 2008

'58flyer'
I live in Pascagoula and work in Gulfport. Just wanted to say Thank you! I worked during Katrina, finding out before the phones went down that my house flooded! My family was safe, they had evacuated.
The entire Mississippi coast line was gone.
I worked during Gustav. It appears that most of south western mississippi is under water once again. But, you wont hear it on the news. All you will hear about is our neighboring state!

You're welcome. Since this thread came along I have looked at my Katrina album and it has refreshed my memory of my time in MS. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been there during the storm. My heart goes out to all those who lost so much. :icon_hug:

The first couple of nights there, when we were still trying to figure out accomodations, we slept at the Border Patrol station close to the Harrison County Jail. We were only about 100 yards from the helicopter. After a couple of days we located 2 rooms at the Motel 6 (if memory serves correctly) in Pascagoula north of the interstate. If you know where I am talking about imagine trying to put a helicopter down on the front lawn of that place, it was tight! After a few days some of the FDLE (Fla Dept of Law Enf) guys got sent home and we "inherited" their rental car. After that we parked the helicopter at Trent Lott airport and drove back to the motel. At the motel there were some people who had lost their homes due to flooding and were staying at the motel. I really felt guilty taking up motel rooms when folks living there had no homes to go to. That's always an issue with hurricane details. Rescue workers, law enforcement, and recovery personnel taking up motel rooms and the local folks are out on the street.

I did 2 weeks on the MS coast and got relieved. My whole agency stood down after 3 weeks. With Gustav we sent the special operations team out but no aviation assets. Now watching Hanna and Ike. I worry more about Ike.

Have you heard anything about Beauvior in the local news? I can't find anything on it. I hope they didn't flood again, they just reopened in August after rebuilding from Katrina.

al7139, ASN, RN · Sep 4, 2008

Hi,

I work on the East Coast (Norfolk, VA). We have had one hurricane (Isabelle) since I have lived here, although I was not a nurse then. Now, as a nurse, our hospital has a disaster plan, which rotates staff based on the nature of the disaster. We are required to have on file with the hospital a preparedness plan for our family members and pets, and what our responsibilities are. The hospital is prepared to assist and house immediate family (those that live with you) in the event of a hurricane, but not our pets, which sucks. My SO insists he would stay in town with the dogs if I had to stay, but I have convinced him that I want him to take the dogs and GO if an evacuation becomes mandatory, so I don't have to worry while I am on duty. We have a plan for where he goes, and how to contact me if needed.

I expect to be called to work and not be able to evacuate, so in the event of a disaster, I will be working round the clock until relief is provided.

Most hospitals have such a plan.

Amy

jstbreathe · Sep 4, 2008

I haven't heard any thing about beauvoir. As far as I know its ok.

northshore08 · Sep 4, 2008

I hate hurricanes. I have worked in southern coastal areas for most of my nursing career. Like all the other nurses posted here, I signed the contract requiring me to be present and ready to stay for duty during a hurricane, and our facility always made it clear that the hospital was "not in a flood zone" (with the bay/river less than 1/8 mile away at the end of the parking lot. :confused: ) Several times I reported for duty as required (12 hours early) and slept in preparation for my shift the next morning. I think the worst to hit the area was Hugo; but I was not working that week, and I was able to evacuate with my family.

My issue with the hospital was family care. They offered to provide shelter and care for the doc's families, but not the rest of the staff. As I married and had a child, that upset me more and more. If push had come to shove, I would have given up my job rather than watch my family leave without me and hope they got out okay. :typing

csason · Sep 4, 2008

I haven't heard any thing about beauvoir. As far as I know its ok.

I stay in fairly frequent contact with the some of the people who are

responsible for Beauvoir, and aside from some tree branches downed and such, it is my understanding the old place is fine.