Hurricane Michael deafens, but doesn’t sideline nurses

Hospitals and health care facilities in northern Florida were hit hard on October 10 when Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 miles per hour, made landfall in southern Florida.

But nurses were ready with disaster plans to assist them get through these difficult times. Hospitals were powerless against the storm’s fury. Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart in Panama City suffered severe storm damage and needed to evacuate tons of of patients, including ICU patients, in accordance with a hospital statement. The damage was far-reaching, and severe weather warnings or watches were issued along the Alabama border and the Georgia and Carolina coasts. But Florida suffered essentially the most, and the landfall site, Mexico Beach, was almost wiped off the map. Time.com reported that Hurricane Michael alone in Florida killed no less than 20 people. The state capital of Tallahassee, situated about 100 miles from where the storm made landfall, suffered damage to buildings, roads, trees and the ability grid. Barbara Alford, RN Barbara Alford, MSN, RN, CNO at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, was a part of the team of nurses working on site through the storm. Alford said all nursing units on the hospital have implemented emergency preparedness and emergency plans, in addition to activated Alpha and Bravo nursing teams.

“Prior to a storm, Alpha nurses return home and pack a bag containing 48-72 hours of personal care products and supplies,” Alford said. “While Alpha is active in the hospital, the Bravo shift is returning home and preparing to come in and relieve them once the roads are open and it is safe.”

Alford, who was on Team Alpha during Hurricane Michael, was hospitalized before, during and after each natural disaster.

“From a patient care standpoint, there is no difference before, during or after Hurricane Michael,” she said. “Our nursing units provide the same high quality of care every day.”

The Tallahassee Memorial remained open and fully operational throughout the storm. “We provided food, sleeping facilities, child care, etc. to our fellow nurses,” Alford said. The hospital, which serves 17 counties, was busy within the weeks after the storm helping other hospitals that were also not doing so well. “Three hospitals in the western counties were damaged or destroyed during the storm, and now we are doing everything we can to support them as we all work to rebuild and recover from Hurricane Michael across the Panhandle,” she said.

“The qualities that draw people to the nursing profession are the same qualities that nurses have demonstrated during this emergency – a spirit of teamwork, compassion, caring and helping others,” Alford continued. “Nursing authorities are doing everything they can and volunteering for cleaning, bed allocation, transport services etc. to lend a helping hand in times of crisis. They are truly at their best in times of disaster and truly believe they are called to care.”

Alford said flexibility is essential during a disaster. “You think you’re doing one thing, but then you completely shift gears, refocus and confidently move forward,” she said.

Prepare for anything

Natural disasters can occur at any time and health organizations should be prepared for them. Mandy Hale, MSN, MBA, RN, vp of nursing for DaVita Kidney Care dialysis clinics, oversees the organization’s 18,000 nurses, roughly 2,600 of whom were affected by Hurricane Michael. DaVita activated its emergency response plan in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia just days before Hurricane Michael made landfall. The organization sent water tankers, fuel tankers, generators, supplies and medicine to make sure centers could treat patients as quickly as possible after the storm.

“To dialysis patients, you have to have water that is safe for dialysis,” Hale said. “We are bringing in water trucks and running the water through filtration systems to ensure our patients can receive dialysis as soon as our facilities reopen.”

Hale provides various types of support before, during and after disasters in order that nurses can take care of patients, she added. Part of this involves preparing patients well prematurely. “Every year as hurricane season approaches, we remind our patients what they should do to stay safe,” she said. “They should be provided with kidney-friendly food for three days. We also make sure our patients have a paper copy of their dialysis prescription.” DaVita gives patients and even non-patients access to an 800-number hotline that connects them to open dialysis centers for treatment. “We are helping our nurses and patients find safe shelter,” Hale said.

Call in reinforcements

DaVita also deploys generators that nurses can place of their homes, and sends nurses from across the country to the affected area to assist in the event of a natural disaster. According to Hale, even when these nurses are unable to practice because they are usually not licensed within the state, they’ll help local nurses get their homes so as so that they can take care of patients. “It takes a lot of logistical energy,” Hale said. “We do it right away. Our nurses work very closely with doctors. Patients usually have pre-determined dialysis schedules. That’s why we’re working with our physicians to prioritize the care of our patients when their schedules are disrupted.” DaVita has locations in Panama, which was certainly one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Michael. An Orlando Sentinel reporter traveling to Panama nearly two weeks after the hurricane made landfall described entering Panama as “a journey towards total destruction.”

Panamanian resident Susan Safdari-Sadaloo, LPN, a peritoneal dialysis nurse at DaVita Lynn Haven Dialysis Center in Panama City, Florida, was struggling to search out dialysis patients and colleagues. Safdari-Sadaloo says it was difficult to get anywhere in the times after the storm. “I climbed trees and power lines,” she said. “Thankfully, we found every single team member and patient.” Communication was an issue because the phone lines were down, so Sadaloo used pre-paid phones to contact patients and staff. Even reaching the DaVita facility, which was closed for 2 days after the hurricane as a result of power outages and water issues, proved difficult after the storm. Her 30-minute journey changed into a 2.5-3 hour ordeal. Like many nurses working within the areas devastated by Hurricane Michael, Safdari-Sadaloo suffered losses. But personal loss didn’t stop her from attempting to comfort others. “I live on the beach and have several businesses in the Panama area, so I was also trying to assess the damage, as were many of my teammates,” she said. “I tell my teammates who have lost everything that items can be replaced, but lives cannot. I try to comfort everyone as much as I can.”

He is taking the next disaster planning courses:

Never in U.S. history has preparing for and responding to a disaster been more critical than it’s today. Disasters are sometimes classified as either man-made or natural. In addition to the threat of artificial disasters – equivalent to terrorist attacks – and natural disasters – equivalent to fires, floods and earthquakes – there was increased interest in disaster preparedness in emerging infectious diseases equivalent to severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza. This module will help nurses higher understand the role of Red Cross nurses during major disasters and help them determine whether DHS care often is the place where they will best devote their time and abilities to assist their fellow residents. Major disasters affect everyone, however the elderly population is especially vulnerable to their devastating effects. Of the roughly 1,200 individuals who died because of this of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, 74% were over the age of 60 and 50% were over the age of 75. Survivors experienced stressful and sometimes inappropriate resettlement and sometimes significant declines in health and functioning. Similar disproportionate deaths amongst seniors have been documented in other natural disasters. This module will inform nurses about how they might help protect the health and lives of older Americans within the face of a disaster. The U.S. Center for Veterans Affairs’ National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) indicates that 7% to eight% of the U.S. population will suffer from PTSD sooner or later of their lives, although greater than half will experience trauma. Each yr, roughly 8 million adults are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma – whether it results from natural disasters (equivalent to floods and fires) or man-made disasters – causes mental and physical wounds. This educational activity will discuss the treatment of symptoms related to PTSD.