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                                  <span>by </span><span itemprop="author" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><span class="author-name-no-email" itemprop="name">Molly  Walker,</span></span>                                        Staff Writer, MedPage Today                                    <time itemprop="datePublished" content="September 24, 2017">
                                      September 24, 2017                                    </time>
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                                                              <p>When Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 51 inches of water in Texas, Houston area hospitals contacted by <em>MedPage Today</em> were more than prepared for the devastation with flood doors, plans for ride-out teams and in some cases, creative solutions to any structural problems that arose during the storm.</p>
<p>But it was the people  --  both in the facilities departments and the clinicians who worked to care for patients throughout the storm  --  that helped put those plans into action, even when they were forced to improvise.</p>
<div class="ad-slot ad-right mobile-ad" ></div><div class="ad-slot first-left-ad ad-left desktop-ad"></div><p>It is a story that continues to resonate, even as more hurricanes and tropical storms have continued to ravage the U.S. and nearby islands.</p>
<p>Houston area hospitals were not caught off guard by the storm on a structural level. MD Anderson Cancer Center, for example, had contractors staying in nearby hotels, with trucks parked on the hospital campus, ready to fix any leaks or damage that occurred.</p>
<p>"Our institution never lost power and we never lost clean water, but we had some roof leaks and a little bit of water in the ground floor areas," said Matthew Berkheiser, executive director and chief safety officer, Environmental Health Safety and Corporate Services at MD Anderson. "If we ran into a problem, we worked the problem until we fixed it and our team did a great job with that."</p>
<p>It was a theme echoed at other area hospitals, whose building and facilities staff started planning for the storm back when Harvey was a mere blip on hurricane tracker maps.</p>
<p>In some cases, they had been preparing for 16 years. Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 caused $87 million in losses at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, thanks to a flooded basement and two feet of water on the first floor.</p>
<div class="ad-slot ad-left tablet-ad"></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right mobile-ad"></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right desktop-ad"></div><p>"Those protections largely worked [during Harvey], though we did suffer some water damage  --  but not nearly to the extent we did in 2001," Robert Emery, DrPH, vice-president, safety at UTHealth Houston, said. "Every storm exposes a different vulnerability."</p>
<p>Texas Children's Hospital was the <a href="https://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/architecture/specifying-flood-protection-barriers/?hilite=%22Galveston%22%2C%22floodgates%22" target="_blank">first institution</a> in Houston to install flood doors prior to Allison, and was able to avoid flooding from that storm.</p>
<p>During Harvey, "the doors worked extremely well  --  for the most part we stayed pretty dry," said Bert Gumeringer, assistant vice president of facilities operations at Texas Children's Hospital. "We did experience water intrusion from the roof, but all our member hospitals closed their flood doors as expected."</p>
<p>Gumeringer added that TCH brought in tankers of potable water in case the city water system went down, which is something they've been doing for the past 14 years during a storm.</p>
<p>"We didn't need that water, so we donated it to Baptist Hospital in Beaumont [Texas]," he said. "I'm not going to pour 12,000 gallons of potable water down the drain."</p>
<div class="tablet-ad-wrap-container"><div class="ad-slot ad-right tablet-ad"></div></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right desktop-ad"></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right mobile-ad"></div><p>Berkheiser said the hospital also made agreements with private companies as well. In addition to a deal with Lyft to bring in staff, a childcare company called Bright Horizons, which had a small location on campus, sent people to take care of employees' children if they had to go to work.</p>
<p>Accessibility of supplies seemed to be an issue for several hospitals. Berkheiser said that MD Anderson's team used high-water vehicles to get to shipments of platelets, blood and drugs that were stuck in distribution facilities. In some cases, the local police department helped out with their own high-water vehicles to bring both supplies and staff in.</p>
<p>Gumeringer also said one of the biggest issues for their team was oxygen delivery, because their normal supplier couldn't get to the hospital. Luckily, they had a secondary supplier that was able to find a way there. After some reconnaissance to find a route for the supplier to get there, Gumeringer said they were able to bring in the needed oxygen.</p>
<p>He described working with other hospitals as being part of a "broader community" that talks to each other and looks out for each other.</p>
<p>Emery said that some members of their "ride-out teams"  --  clinicians, facilities people, police, safety and animal care workers designated to stay in the hospital during the storm  --  were stuck there for more than five days. Other hospitals reported the same.</p>
<div class="ad-slot ad-right tablet-ad"></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right desktop-ad"></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right mobile-ad"></div><p>"These folks did a great job, but they were working long hours and there was no end in sight," Emery added.</p>
<p><strong>"All Hell Broke Loose"</strong></p>
<p>One of the main issues appeared to be that the rain did not intensify until Saturday night, so many doctors who worked Saturday assumed it would be fine to continue with business as usual  --  whether that was going home or staying at the hospital for another shift.</p>
<p>Jose Cortes, MD, a pediatric intensivist who cares for ICU patients at MD Anderson, walked eight and a half miles from his home to get back to the hospital to take care of his patients. He'd been at the hospital on Friday night through Saturday afternoon, and was on call the next day, so he'd gone home to watch the Mayfield/McGregor boxing match with his son on Saturday night.</p>
<p>But when he saw that his driveway was flooded to the point that he could not get his car out, he realized he was not going to be able to drive to the hospital if he was needed.</p>
<div class="ad-slot ad-right tablet-ad"></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right desktop-ad"></div><div class="ad-slot ad-right mobile-ad"></div><p>"My other two partners were in Mexico and Sugarland [Texas], so they had less chance of reaching the hospital than I did," Cortes said. "My daughter said, 'Are you crazy?' but I was the person on call tomorrow, and I knew if I didn't get there now, tomorrow would be worse than it is now."</p>
<p>Using an old-fashioned lantern, with a bag of extra clothes tied up in a trash bag, Cortes walked through hip-deep water in his neighborhood, passing a couple of houses that had been flooded. He said he had to walk slowly because he couldn't see the bottom of the street, but he got there.</p>
<p>In many cases, patients were also walking to the hospital. Diana Racusin, MD, an ob/gyn with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, said she expected the storm to hit Friday night. So, when everything appeared to be fine on Saturday morning, she went to work. Racusin did not leave the hospital until Tuesday.</p>
<p>"On Saturday night, I woke up to a phone call saying there was a patient who was evacuated by boat by [emergency medical services]," she said. "We had patients coming in from neighborhoods directly around the hospital that weren't patients, but we were the only hospital they could get to."</p>
<p>It was an easy choice for many doctors, including those who did not have to be in the hospital. Amrou Sarraj, MD, a neurologist with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, worked a normal day Saturday, and decided to brave the elements to come in on Sunday, because nobody else could make it. He was able to round on all services, with more than 30 patients.</p>
<p>Sarraj said the reaction from his patients made the trip worthwhile, describing one younger patient with a hemorrhage and an anxious sister he would update for 10 to 15 minutes every day.</p>
<p>"When I went into the room that day, she said 'I'm so happy you're here because I was wondering how I was going to make it through the day,'" he said.</p>
<p><strong>Creative Solutions</strong></p>
<p>While the power stayed on in all hospitals, staff was limited due to the circumstances, and many doctors were forced to improvise.</p>
<p>Joseph Herman, MD, division head of radiation oncology at MD Anderson, had to get "somewhat creative" in order to keep his patients on schedule with radiation therapy throughout the storm. He got permission from the leadership team and three physicians came in, as well as a couple of radiation therapists, who are required to operate the machines.</p>
<p>"We were calling all the therapists individually and begging them to come in and help us take care of the patients who could make it in," Herman said. The team was able to treat several patients on the Tuesday after the storm.</p>
<p>"By Wednesday, we had 15 or 20 therapists who volunteered to come in, even though there was still a lot of flooding," he said.</p>
<p>And "through a ton of teamwork and grassroots efforts," they were able to treat 300 to 400 patients throughout the week, including some of those from other centers, ensuring that most patients would not lose a week of valuable therapy.</p>
<p>Racusin also said she had patients coming in who had not been there before, and that she was fielding phone calls from other doctors in the community with patients that needed to be seen.</p>
<p>Cortes described the atmosphere of the doctors who came in as "like a family," and that all the clinicians who came in did everything together, from patient care to paperwork.</p>
<p>"Instead of everybody seeing patients by themselves, we did rounds together," he said. "Then we put the information into the computer together."</p>
<p>This spirit of community was echoed by the doctors, who each cited the feeling of personal responsibility they felt to be there for their patients.</p>
<p>"This falls under 'desperate times call for desperate measures,'" Sarraj said. "With all the sacrifices that the first responders and rescue groups made throughout, what we were doing was very small."</p>
<p>Racusin said that even though she was trapped in the hospital, she was grateful to be there instead of being at home, like so many of her colleagues were forced to do.</p>
<p>"It's our natural instinct to help, to be out there in the middle of things and to want to contribute. I would be going crazy sitting at home, watching things on TV, not being able to get out," she said.</p>
<p>Herman credited the hospital leadership for the get-it-done spirit.</p>
<p>"It starts at the very top, but the leadership allowed us to lead. They kept checking and asking what we needed all the way through," he said, adding that he was "personally appreciative" of the support provided by the hospital leadership.</p>
<p><strong>Lessons Learned</strong></p>
<p>Emery said with every natural disaster, the facilities and planning team learns new lessons for the next time. This time, Emery cited the importance of the ride-out teams and how long they were forced to remain in the hospital.</p>
<p>"We need to rethink the size and duration of the ride-out teams, because even if we had good control, we still had a wave of folks who couldn't get in," he said. "These folks did a great job, but there was no relief in sight."</p>
<p>Berkheiser added not to overlook the importance of "support staff," such as the laboratory medicine department.</p>
<p>"You may have doctors and nurses and clinical people, but if you're planning for a disaster, have you touched base with lab medicine to make sure they have what they need?" Berkheiser said.</p>
<p>Gumeringer said that after this experience, they will be working with their pharmaceutical team to pre-position some critical medications, because they had to have some of them airlifted in during the storm. He said they have now added contacts with an army reserve unit in Houston with helicopters who may be able to help in getting supplies.</p>
<p>He also added that while the hospital did have plenty of food and was able to provide hot meals to the staff throughout the event, they did have to serve the same meal twice because truck drivers with food for the hospital could not get to the hospital due to water on the highways.</p>
<p>"One driver stayed with the shipment of food for 72 hours," Gumeringer said. "We did not anticipate a 5-day-plus event  --  we were always thinking in terms of 3 days. This shows we should start thinking of 5 days or even 7."</p>
<p>He offered advice for any of his fellow hospitals who may have to weather an oncoming storm as hurricane season continues to batter the country.</p>
<p>"Think about the worst weather-related event you've ever had, multiply that times three and then begin your planning," Gumeringer said.</p>
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                                <div style="display: none" itemprop="dateModified">1969-12-31T19:00:00-0500</div>
                                                                <p class="last-updated">last updated <time>09.22.2017</time></p>
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