What if a hurricane hit your facility while you were there?

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 27, 2011

I've never been in a hurricane either, but I would dive under someone's bed. I'm assuming it would be like on TV, not more than 15-30 minutes. If I had to be up and around I'd wrap in a blanket to avoid debris flying around, and stay the heck away from the windows.

kcmylorn · Mar 27, 2011

I think the marvelous, ever knowledgeble, multi talented ,versatile $4.9 million dollar /year hospital CEO would handle it single handedly.

SkaterGurl · Mar 27, 2011

I'm sure they would brief the staff as far as procedures to follow (should be in the policy manual as well). I worked home health as a CNA and during hurricane season had to make sure my patients had proper equipment & supplies on hand "just in case" they lost power. Since most of my patients were elderly, they were tough & used to roughing it out. Strangely, it was the younger patients that had a harder time during power outages and torrential rains.

Some patients (those requiring constant medical intervention/equipment) were transported to the hospital or a LTC facility. I'm sure typical care would be: ensuring only necessary equipment was plugged in to the "red" (i.e. emergency) outlets, covering windows if in direct path, flashlights on hand, etc. And keeping patients calm.

Ruthfarmer · Mar 28, 2011

Having lived and worked in Louisiana and Mississippi during hurricane season, I can tell you it varies from facility to facility. Most facilities have an awfully thorough and comprehensive hurricane plan in place. When you hire on at most facilities, it is with the understanding that if you are scheduled to work within a day of the hurricane's expected landfall, you come on into the hospital before your shift, while the roads are still open.

The best prepared hospitals tell you to bring your family with you and the facility provides a place for your family to stay for the duration, as they don't want staff worried about their families while they are working.

The emergency plan indicates the safest areas of the hospital and patients are moved to these areas to protect them from dangers such as breaking windows.

You do what's necessary to take care of the patients. Hopefully there is sufficient diesel to operate the generators to provide electricity to operate what you need to properly care for patients until the situation reaches some degree of normalcy.

NO matter how detailed and well considered the emergency planning, you must realize that catastrophes beyond imagination can occur. In the most dire of situations, you simply improvise, adapt, and overcome. You get creative and you pray an awful lot.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Mar 28, 2011

If a hurricane hits mid Kansas I am pulling out all my weapons and ammo as it is a sign of the apocalypse. Honestly though, we had this debate in ethics and it got pretty heated. On one hand you have the duty to your patients. On the other hand though, self preservation is high up on the list. You cant help people if you are dead. I know right now I would probably stay, but if you add me having a little baby and a wife in that picture, you can certainly bet I will do whatever I have to do to keep them safe.

tablefor9, RN · Mar 28, 2011

I evac the DH and kiddos, plus the faithful pooch, to inland relatives, and I GO TO WORK. Hospital will allow sheltering family in place, but we choose not to do that for a variety of reasons.

We have team A, and team B. I'm usually team A, but it's okay either way. Team A comes early, stays til roads are open and B can get in. Hurricanes don't last a matter of minutes. There are HOURS of severe storms, with a lull in the middle as the eye passes over. Going to generator power is almost a given in a direct hit or near miss with a cat 3 or bigger storm. How long you'll stay on generator is the variable, in my experience. So, it's hot. Sometimes, hot like hell's front porch. And, "non essential" electronics are gone. Forget computer charting, and imagine only your red plugs and red switches working.

Amazingly, the morale is generally high...or it has been on our units. Think hurricane party without the booze. People get tired, and it's difficult to get messages through to the fam sometimes, but it isn't going to last forever and there is a sense of thankfulness when you ride it out and the B team comes in.

You also have to remember that all elective procedures are cancelled/rescheduled, for the most part. Nobody's getting a routine screening EGD or a boob job, today. Babies are still born, a surprising amount of them, actually. ER visits still happen. But folks who CAN go home, or be transferred to a facility out of the track will be. SO, it's not usually a full house.

I've never been in a facility that took on major structural damage while I was there, and I'm grateful that's the case. But the fact is, I'm a nurse. And a Florida native. I knew going in that hurricane duty was part of it. It's not a matter of being a martyr, it's a matter of doing what I do.

There is a book available about the hospitals of New Orleans, mainly the HCA hospitals, during Katrina. It makes a pretty interesting read of the true stories of conditions in the city's hospitals during that catastrophic week.

smily nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2011

I think the marvelous, ever knowledgeble, multi talented ,versatile $4.9 million dollar /year hospital CEO would handle it single handedly.

hahahaha good one!!!

futureRN_Anastasia · Mar 28, 2011

Actually, the notion of a hurricane scares me senseless. Of all the places where I lived, I have never lived in a hurricane active zone, so to me it is an unimaginable catastrophe that I have read about in the news. It is a big relief to read that there IS a "hurricane plan", and things that people can actually do in case it happens.

Summers_Off · Mar 29, 2011

Do you know the name of that book?

PureLifeRN · Mar 29, 2011

All the hospitals I have worked in (south florida) have a Team A/Team B. Team A usually will get more $ per hour, especially if they have to stay there overnight.

RNperdiem, RN · Mar 29, 2011

I worked nights when a hurricane hit. The hospital is inland, so we were not in big danger.

The night shift nurses packed an overnight bags in case we had to stay/ day shift unable to get to work.

Hospitals are built immensely strong. The building code for hospitals are very stringent.

The biggest danger with a hurricane is driving. Most deaths from Hurricane Floyd happened when people tried to drive through flooded streets.