Posted: 9/15/2015
Preparation is key to surviving a disaster
When Hurricane Katrina unleashed her wrath on the Gulf Coast a decade ago those who could flee the area took refuge in numerous Texas cities including Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. Then, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita triggered one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history. The toll on lives and property was catastrophic.
With the observance of 10th anniversary of these disasters and September’s designation as National Disaster Preparedness Month, experts at Parkland Health & Hospital System recalled the catastrophic events of 2005 and are urging the public to plan ahead for the unforeseen.
“That hurricane disaster was different from any other to which we’ve responded, whether a drill scenario or the real thing,” recalled Alexander Eastman, MD, Medical Director and Chief of the Rees-Jones Trauma Center at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Assistant Professor of Surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center who was among those working around-the-clock helping evacuees who made their way to North Texas. “This disaster was sustained. We hadn’t even fully cleaned up yet from a hospital that was literally built on nothing in a parking garage at Reunion Arena to deal with Katrina refugees, and then all of sudden here comes another huge number of evacuees.”
Parkland’s Homeless Outreach Medical Services (HOMES) program immediately stepped up and began moving in within a matter of hours to take on the huge responsibility of the patients who, for all intents and purposes, were now homeless. At any time, two to four HOMES mobile units parked daily on-site from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Each motor home provided space for two exam areas. Led by Sue Spalding, MD, and Jorie Klein, RN, the team included HOMES medical personnel and various volunteer providers from within Parkland and UT Southwestern. Simultaneously, Parkland’s pharmacy staff began filling prescriptions.
“Had they not been able to do that we would have a lot more people who would have gotten sick because they couldn’t get their medications,” Dr. Eastman said.
The devastation from the hurricanes was so massive in scale that it required a community-wide effort. Locally, Parkland, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas County Health & Human Services, police, fire, the Red Cross and others partnered at the former Reunion Arena, the Dallas Convention Center Medical Unit and the Decker jail center to care for more than 8,000 people who fled the coast. It’s estimated that less than 3 percent of the evacuee population required transport to local hospitals and emergency departments, preventing hospitals and primary care clinics from being overwhelmed.
Hurricane Rita was responsible for 120 deaths. Some were actually associated with evacuation efforts, such as the 23 passengers who died in a bus accident south of Dallas. These were elderly people evacuated from nursing homes and healthcare facilities. These patients were very sick, often bed-ridden and debilitated in some way. They had been in transit for 12 hours or more and many were dehydrated.
“What we learned is that even in a dynamic situation like that, you can’t treat the wave that comes in like you treated the last wave. And you can’t treat the next disaster like you treated the previous disaster,” Dr. Eastman said. “These situations must be assessed and diagnosed and treated like a unique patient. We must be ready to adapt.”
Adapting is core to Parkland’s mission. Whether it was taking care of patients with infectious diseases such as polio or tuberculosis in the 1940s, treating 175 emergency patients in two hours when a tornado ripped across Dallas in 1957, or rushing to aid 21 patients from the Delta 191 crash on Aug. 2, 1985, Parkland has stood ready for all types of medical emergencies.
Even though you can’t plan for a man-made or natural disaster, Dr. Eastman says you can be prepared in the event that tragedy strikes. Preparing, he said, includes learning the risks your particular community faces – are you near tracks where there could be a train derailment? Is there a creek in the area that floods neighborhood streets? Regardless of the environment, he recommends having items available that you would need to survive in your home until help arrives. Those items include enough water to last three to six days (recommended quantity is three liters of water per person per day), high energy food items that won’t spoil and don’t require cooking, a hand-operated can opener, flashlights, portable radio, spare batteries, a first aid kit, cash or traveler’s checks and light sticks.
“I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having a personal plan and making sure it’s in place long before a disaster happens,” he said. “Talk about what you’re going to do if a tornado hits. What are you going to do if the power goes out or you’re not able to reach your loved ones? If you’re away from home, does your family have a designated meeting place?
“Make a plan and practice it several times,” Dr. Eastman says. “Planning today will lead to a safer tomorrow.”