Hurricane Ike Update #9

Friday, September 12, 2008, 6:38pm

So, apparently Ike is "tightening" as it's reaching the shore. Apparently the storms normally are downgraded a Category as they get closer to land, but for some reason the eye is getting smaller, which is worse.

Above is a picture of the ER door, and a backup air conditioner that was placed in the ER. And the third picture is a view from the ER (we're not allowed outside anymore). It's starting to get really gray and rainy.

There's also a yacht building that caught fire, and the fire engines are 400 feet away and can't get any closer due to the flooding.

As I was just typing this, we lost power. So I don't know how much more I'm going to be able to write or call. I'll try my best to keep everyone updated. I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to get a little down. I'm worried about my apartment and thinking of everyone up north.

Hurricane Ike Update #8

Friday, September 12, 2008, 3:33pm

So, we just got back from our second debriefing of the day. Here are the updates:

Facilites--they have officially turned off almost all of the elevators in the hospital. They are still anticipating a loss of power, and they have generators ready. But guess what? The generators are on the first floor! Apparently there are teams that can move the generators if the first floor floods, but all of us residents think it was a stupid idea in the first place to put them on the ground floor!

Food--so, this is becomming an issue. They have assured us that they have enough food (4 times enough food for us for 7 days), but they have started to ration it because it is possible that we might be here for 10-12 days. They are also expecting the first floor kitchen to flood, and since it's electric, we won't be able to use it. So once that happens, we'll then have cold food in the second floor cafeteria, then after that runs out, we'll have hot food which will be cooked on a gas stove/grill.

Patients--we're not really worried about any patients in the hospital just yet. But only half the island has evacuated, leaving about 30,000 people still on the island (aka: 30,000 potential trauma patients). We're anticipating the hospital (aka: trauma bay, aka: me and the other surgery residents) getting very busy tomorrow after the storm goes through and people go outside and start to do stupid things, like climb ladders and try to rescue their belongings, etc. We are also anticipating a lot of people dying though. I don't understand. The last bus left this afternoon, and there are still so many people outside!

Winds--during the debriefing they mentioned what we should expect. Once the winds start around 6pm, and once they get worse around midnight, the winds are going to be so strong and so loud that they sound like "constant thunder." There is also going to be a lot of "wind-driven rain," which can be very dangerous and also loud.

This is a picture of Dr. Callender, the President of UTMB. He's been leading the debriefing. At this debriefing, they were distributing flashlights to every employee.

I just heard on the news that it was recommended that people use a permanent marker and write their name and social security number on their arm. Good to prepare, I guess, but a little morbid.

I'm hoping to get some more pictures, but they might have to be through windows. More later this evening...

Hurricane Ike Update #7

Friday, September 12, 2008, 2:23pm

So, we've eaten lunch with the rest of the E1s, and now we're holed up in the trauma call room again.

It kind of feels like day camp, because they have this bulletin board that tells everyone about the events for the day, like "3pm-Debriefing, 8pm-Prayer Meeting in Chapel." (Interestingly, UTMB recently let go all the chaplins that were employed, so I'm not sure who will lead the prayer meeting...).

It also feels a little like a bomb shelter, since we're staying in these little rooms with the storm shutters closed (see picture). We might start watching some movies or playing a game (I brought a whole bunch of DVDs and games, including Operation--how appropriate for surgery residents).

I polled the other residents as to anything else I should say on my blog at this point--and the other 4 and I wanted to encourage anyone who is still in Galveston to LEAVE as soon as possible. Some are saying this is going to be the "worst day Texas has seen in 50 years." I read on CNN earlier that people are experiencing "Hurricane Fatigue," because they're tired of thinking about hurricanes and preparing for them. And I admit, it's annoying to always be on the lookout. But seriously, this is not to be taken lightly. I know I'm just from Ohio, but this is scary! We have our food and flashlights ready, and we're just hunkering down and waiting it out. But those that are still on the island and have the option of leaving, should do so.

More later after our 3pm debriefing...

Hurricane Ike Update #6

Friday, September 12, 2008, 12:30pm

Here's more video, this one shows how Seawall Boulevard has flooded. We actually got kicked off the seawall while we were taking these pictures and video. The scary thing is, we haven't even felt the hurricane winds yet...

Hurricane Ike Update #5

Friday, September 12, 2008; 12:00pm

So, we ventured out one last time before the storm officially hits us. Seawall Boulevard (third picture) is flooded, in addition to Harborside Drive (second picture), and the police are prohibiting people from being on the seawall (one of the other residents and I got kicked off the seawall!). A curfew was also mandated for 8pm-5am for the city of Galveston; if you're found out in the city of Galveston between those hours, you'll be fined $2,000!

Apparently there has been some changes in the category of the Hurricane as well--the storm surges are being considered a Category 4, while the winds are currently Category 2, and are expected to increase to Category 3.

More video to come...

Hurricane Ike Update #4

Ok, here's the best video I got while we were walking on the Seawall. Craziness!

Hurricane Ike Update #3

Friday, September 12, 2008, 10:40am So we had to get out of the hospital before we went stir-crazy and before the majority of the storm hit. We are expecting tropical storm winds between 10-12 today, then hurricane winds starting at 9pm. As you can see from the pictures and video, the waves are starting to pick up, and some of the streets are starting to flood. This is even without rain, just the wind and waves. The seawall was built after the Galveston Hurricane in the early 1900's, and is 18 feet high. So that gives you an idea of how high the water is already...

Hurricane Ike Update #2

Friday, September 12, 2008, 9:00am

So we had a debriefing this morning at 9am for the approximately 500 employees that are still in the hospital (see picture). Here's the lowdown:

Facilities--The facilities manager is almost 100% certain that we will lose power. There are some generators, but that doesn't cover everything, including air conditioning. (I have even been given a "special" task of turning on our program director's fish tank generator when the power goes out.) They are also going to be shutting down all the elevators in the hospital, because if it floods and the elevator doors open, obviously that would be bad.

Patients--There are 6 patients in the ER, 5 of which are being transferred, and there is one left on Labor and Delivery, who is also being transferred. I'm really impressed that they evacuated everyone! Atleast on our trauma service, we had a couple patients that were very unstable. I even went up to the patient floors, and it was totally empty and everything was covered in case of a flood or leak (see picture).

Food--they are continuing to give us free food. However, in the event that the first floor floods (there is a good chance of this), they are going to be moving the food to the second floor cafeteria which is located in the prison hospital (TDC). The food has been good so far.

Social--apparently people are trying to organize social events, like a walking club and even a game club. Last night everyone was pretty calm, but you can tell the mood in the hospital is starting to get tense. Apparently, according to one of our trauma surgeons, people go through this weird mood shifting, where they start out carefree, then get antsy, then get depressed as we continue to be stuck in the hospital/bomb shelter.

Next up: some video! :)

Hurricane Ike Update #1

Thursday, September 11, 2008, 8:56pm

So I arrived at the hospital a couple hours ago and met up with the other 4 surgery residents that are E1. We then ate some free dinner with one of our trauma attendings who will also be here during the storm. He is predicting that this storm is going to be really bad and that we'll most likely lose power soon and will be stuck in the hospital for several days. We'll see.

As of right now, the weather is fine, but the water is definitely rising. The seawall itself is 18 feet high, and water levels are approaching the top of the seawall as we are starting to feel the effects of the hurricane. Sorry I don't have any pictures of that!

They have evacuated most of the patients. The ambulances were still lined up outside ready to transport patients when I was coming in at 7pm (see above). It was actually surprisingly efficient how well they evacuated everyone.

That's about it for right now. We have all claimed our call rooms and getting ready to hunker down and watch a movie.

More later...

Bring it on, Ike!

So, I have officially been declared "E1: Essential Personnel" for Hurricane Ike. That means that I had to leave work early today to come back and get all my stuff ready, then return to UTMB by 7pm tonight. Then I get to stay until Sunday! Ack. Atleast they give us free food while we're here.

There is now a mandatory evauation for Galveston Island, which means that everyone is heading out and everything will be closed--offices, schools, even shelters. We also started evacuating patients this morning at 9am. The state of Texas has promised to provide the transportation for the patients, so there are buses and ambulances lined up outside the hospital to take the patients to a hospital in Austin. We have discharged as many as possible, and of course some of our patients are too fragile to transport, but most everyone else is leaving.

So I've started getting my apartment ready--I'm not too worried since I live on the second story of an apartment building that was built in the 1960s. But I have put tape on my windows (apparently this helps if the glass shatters), and later on I'm going to move my tv, Wii, and computer away from the windows. I've also turned up my freezer and refridgerator to the max amount of cold, so in case we lose power my stuff'll stay fresh as long as possible. I've packed up some games, books, food, and movies, for my 60 hour fun-fest at the hospital.

More postings and some pics to come....