[Hurricane Ike and the University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital's evacuation].
In September 2008 the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was threatened by Hurricane Ike. The incident commander decided to evacuate the hospital. This is a report on how this was accomplished and the lessons learned. An adequate disaster preparedness plan, sufficient logistics, a comprehensive incident command center and the use of complex communication systems were crucial for success. Within 11 h a total of 469 patients had been evacuated using 143 ambulances, 23 helicopters, 2 fixed wing aircraft, buses and numerous passenger vans. The authors encourage physicians, as responsible members of the health care team, to be prepared to respond to disasters.
Maybauer
D M
DM
Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Critical Care Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Burns Hospital, Galveston, 77555-0591, USA.
Megna
M
M
Kafka
G
G
Maybauer
M O
MO
D017732:Air Ambulances; D000552:Ambulances; D003142:Communication; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004189:Disaster Planning; D006801:Humans; D009934:Organization and Administration; D010348:Patient Care Team; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013781:Texas; D014187:Transportation of Patients