The anger of Hurricane Ida extends far beyond torn roofs, massive flooding, and life-threatening winds and storm surges. It enters the medical facility.
The devastating Category 4 storm swept through Louisiana all day and throughout the night on Sunday and has penetrated into some medical facilities in the state. First, the roof of a hospital in Galliano was blown away.
Now, not only has a hospital in Thibodaux out of power, some emergency generators have also stopped working. Employees of the Thibodaux district health system had to transport patients to another floor. For patients who need breathing assistance from a ventilator, they received emergency help from nurses and doctors, and they used some old-fashioned methods to help them breathe with bags.
The patients were transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital to the post-anaesthesia ward on the first floor above them, but they had to use the stairwell for transportation. This means that during a Category 4 hurricane, doctors and nurses help transport air into the patient as they climb a flight of stairs.
According to Nola.com, the patient was transferred after the strong wind of Hurricane Ida damaged a generator. Dr. Joe Kanter is the state’s chief health officer. Kanter said that all other generators in the hospital are in working condition.
However, Thibodaux RHS officials stated that all generators are now back online.
The staff member said: “Due to the unknown impact that the storm may still produce, we are closely monitoring the situation.” “We will continue to provide a safe environment for our patients and employees.”
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP Photo via Getty Images
The Parish of LaFourche in Louisiana was hardest hit by the storm. It landed at Port Fulchon at a wind speed of 150 mph on Sunday, marking the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s hit on the Gulf Coast. In addition to the power outage in the hospital, the entire 9-1-1 system in the parish also failed during the storm.
Hurricane Ida moved inland in the form of a Category 4 storm for nearly 5 hours, after which the wind speed eventually dropped to 125 mph, raising it to Category 3 status.
On Sunday night, the storm was still raging in southern Louisiana. The wind speed at 10pm Pacific time was still 105 miles per hour because Ida drove quickly into a small road west of New Orleans, but it was still strong enough to bring heavy rainfall and hurricane winds into Crescent City.
The storm made landfall south of Tebodo, and strong winds blew the small town in southern Louisiana all day and soaked it in water. Louisiana declared a state of emergency before the storm made landfall. Governor John Bell Edwards said on Saturday that Hurricane Ida may be the worst hurricane in the state since the 1850s.
