Health care in the eye of the storm

I have been working as a physician in New Orleans for 25 years and have faced many hurricanes. On most occasions it was just a huge nuisance—you either had to leave town or stay in the hospital. The next day you would go back to work and to a normal life in the “Big Easy.” Over the years I have continually heard about the hurricane that would be like no other, the one that would destroy and flood our wonderful city.

We tried to keep cool by placing fans and water bottles everywhere that we could

It was Friday 26 August when the news about hurricane Katrina became alarming. She was heading for New Orleans and people had to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Planning started. People left town, and the few who stayed at our hospital were the ones considered essential personnel, those needed to work during and after the storm.

I was on duty, and therefore, after I had put my family out of Katrina's path, I proceeded to report on Sunday afternoon to be available for patient care. Emotionally, it was a difficult time. Although my family were safe, they were going to be far away, and I was concerned that I might never see them again if Katrina was really going to hit the city. Yes, I feared for my life, and for the lives of my colleagues and friends, since this was the worst case scenario. All of us in the medical profession, however, were also worried about our patients. It was our duty to comfort them and tell them that everything would be all right, which is exactly what we did.

Sunday night was unsettling. I did not sleep and sat up carefully watching the path of the storm. By morning the news was a little better for us than for our friends in Mississippi, since the storm was curving to the right. We were told to stay at our posts, and after 2 pm, by which time the weather had improved, we lost electricity and communications, and found that we had leaks in the roof. But we were lucky: our facility had withstood Katrina's wrath, and all patients and staff were unharmed.

Figure 1.

Credit: DAVID J PHILLIP/AP/EMPICS

We all went back to work in difficult circumstances and did our best to take care of patients. Our work was different, life was different. Our computers were still in place, but they were not working properly. We had no air conditioning and no beeper systems. Despite that, everybody did an excellent job. It truly lifted my spirits to see people help to pick up food and water and take it to the kitchen, people doing extra work with smiling faces, operators cordially answering the phone and trying to page a multitude of people. Everyone, including patients and patients' families, asked how everyone was doing and tried to comfort one another. We all took care of each other. Nurses worked non-stop in sweltering conditions. We tried to keep people cool by placing fans and water bottles everywhere that we could. We had email, which helped keep everybody informed, and allowed us to receive and answer messages of support from what seemed like the whole world.

The stress of working fast amid worries about our houses, our future, and our security had an emotional toll on all of us

Some hours were better than others. The stress of working fast amid worries about our houses, our future, and our security had an emotional toll on all of us, but we never compromised patient comfort and care. After Katrina's wrath I felt that our devotion to our patients and to our institution had increased. I felt privileged and proud to be part of this remarkable group of professionals.

Figure 2.

Credit: JOHN BAZEMORE/AP/EMPICS

During these strenuous and terrifying days, I reflected on our profession. It dawned on me that the reason why all of us were working tirelessly, diligently, and efficiently in such difficult circumstances was to do with what it means to be a healthcare professional—that is, to have the incredible opportunity to help people in times of need. Little steps to recovery were major accomplishments during the following days. Our clinic was ready and promised hope for the future of our city.

The following months will be arduous. New problems will arise, such as infections from contaminated water, the people of New Orleans will need rehousing, and the city will need to confront economic hardship and emotional distress. I have no doubt that we will overcome all of these problems.