Florida officials rush to evacuate vulnerable patients ahead of Milton
Florida officials rush to evacuate vulnerable patients ahead of Milton
The Washington Post; by David Ovalle and Sabrina Malhi; 10/9/24 at 6:31pm EDT
An armada of ambulances, buses and helicopters this week have ferried thousands of sick and vulnerable people to safer ground in a medical evacuation unparalleled in Florida history as monster Hurricane Milton neared landfall. Assisted-living facilities across the Tampa Bay region shuttered as patients were transferred to homes away from the churning Gulf of Mexico and its potentially lethal storm surge. Government-run shelters for special-needs patients and their caregivers were filling to capacity in high schools and community centers across the peninsula. Ambulance crews from as far away as California and New Hampshire transported patients — some on ventilators — to hospitals sometimes hours away. “This storm is pretty unprecedented,” said Ed Powers, a regional manager for Global Medical Response, which deployed about 400 ambulances to Florida. “This is one of the largest, if not the largest, deployments we’ve ever done.” ...
Editor's note: Though this news is now "old," it paints a vivid picture for healthcare Emergency Disaster Preparation, policies, partnerships, training of staff, and communication systems. What risk assessments, preparations, and systems do you have in place? What can you improve?