Florida hospitals and nursing homes are bracing for a storm
The Florida West Coast Prepares for a Tropical Tropical Storm: Emergency Medical Evacuation, Flood Mitigation Plan, Energy Plant and Power Plant Maintenance, and Emergency Medical Supplies
People in Florida are running out of time to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall along the state’s western coastline, now expected as early as Wednesday night.
The National Hurricane Center said that the storm’s maximum sustained wind speed was 160 miles per hour. It was 300 miles southwest ofTampa and traveled at 14 mph. Multiple hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge advisories are in effect in coastal areas in western Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm surge could get as high as 15 feet in some places, and rainfall totals could reach 18 inches.
Storm surge warnings are in effect for Florida’s west coast from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. The Suwannee River and the areas surrounding it are in the path of a Hurricane. Hurricane warnings also are in effect for the state’s east coast from the St. Lucie-Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach.
There will be impacts far beyond the eye of the storm. “You should be executing your plan now. If you’re going to get out, get out now. You have time today. If you don’t wait any longer, time will run out very soon.
Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene tore through the American Southeast, hospitals and health care providers in Florida are preparing for yet another destructive storm as Hurricane Milton hurtles toward the state’s west coast.
Affected hospitals are transferring patients to other facilities within their health care systems. The chief of emergency medical oversight for Florida said during an emergency preparation seminar on Tuesday that nearly 600 vehicles, including buses, ambulances, and vans, have been deployed to move patients to safety. “This has been our largest evacuation ever,” he said.
HCA Florida healthcare said on Tuesday afternoon that it is temporarily closing or suspending some hospitals and emergency rooms. “Once the patient transfers are complete, the hospitals will be temporarily closed and will reopen when it is safe to do so following the storm,” the health care system said in a statement.
Hospitals that remain open have implemented flood-mitigation plans, moved electrical equipment away from flood areas, and stocked supplies that may be needed in an emergency.
The Davis Islands hospital, which is sited at sea level, has an on-site energy plant that can be turned on if the power goes out. According to Tampa General, the energy plant was built to withstand the impact and flooding of a Category 5 hurricane. The hospital has food, linens and other supplies on-site for more than five days.
Florida’s emergency officials said that nearly 600 vehicles including buses, ambulances, and vans have been deployed to move patients to safety ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Milton. “Once the patient transfers are complete, the hospitals will be temporarily closed and will reopen when it is safe to do so following the storm,” the health care system said.