SOURCE:NOAA
A Category 5 hurricane with winds of 185 miles per hour threatened to crash into Galveston and Houston.
It would decimate both cities, creating a similar scenario to what happened recently in Biloxi, Mississippi.
25 foot storm surges are similar to a tsunami, and can wipe out the low lying areas of Galveston and the bay
areas that abound in Houston. Backing up the bayous that drain Houston, surges would trigger widespread flooding similar to that which
happened in 2001. This was a real threat. 2.7 million people left the area, and several others tried to, but faced with a
traffic jam of historic proportion and gas shortages, turned around. Most dialysis units stopped operating Thursday, unaware of when they could open again.
Confusion and fear tormented dialysis patients, many of whom had their last treatment on Wednesday, not knowing whether
or not their unit would even be standing two or three days later. To make matters worse, cell phones and land lines were jammed.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN Z. FADEM, M.D. FASN
On September 23, the storm heading toward the city of Houston veered to
the east, meaning that we would incur winds of 50 to 70 miles per hour
instead of 120 to 130. A lucky break, but flooding and power outages
still were a threat, as was the integrity of the city water system.
Bracing for the worse possible scenario, and while the storm was looming
off shore, three dialysis nurses, Kelly, CJ and Robin, spent the night
in DaVita Med Center, one of the largest dialysis units in the nation, to be ready for whatever happened the next day.
SOURCE: NOAA
The sun rose the next day, but no one could see it. The lights in
the unit came on; they had power. While the winds were still howling,
and broken stoplights dangled from their poles outside, the three
nurses manned the phones, fielding hundreds of calls from bewildered and
frightened patients.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN Z. FADEM, M.D., FASN
After biomed tested their water, they rounded up
some of the teammates that did not evacuate. They were operational that
Saturday afternoon dialyzing tired, overloaded and very, very grateful
patients.
Part of the DaVita mission statement is "to be the provider of choice." To these committed nurses, being the provider of choice was not restricted to fair atmospheric conditions, and
their devotion and effort went way beyond the call of duty. It
exemplified the best qualities of a person. DaVita and the renal
community at large should be very proud to have nurses such as these
fine people and many others working so well together.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN Z. FADEM, M.D., FASN
PHOTO BY STEPHEN Z. FADEM, M.D., FASN
As many evacuee patients and personnel from Houston sat in traffic for several hours trying to move to neighboring cities where they would be safe, they remembered the hospitality that
Houston showed Hurricane Katrina victims, dialyzing anyone and everyone who arrived. No problem, they undoubtedly thought. Patients will find a place to dialyze in San Antonio, or Dallas or Lufkin or Austin.
But, traffic never moved. Cars were at a standstill even on side streets. People were running out of gas and their radiators were overheating. To make matters worse,
cell phone service was very poor, even though the major companies (Cingular, Sprint and T-mobile) were sharing towers.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN Z. FADEM, M.D., FASN
Many of the patients turned around and went back to their homes. But this created another problem; patients who had not dialyzed for several days would need treatments in Houston as soon as the storm blew over. If power was down and the streets were flooded where would they go? Who would they call?
The operators at DaVita listened to callers from gridlocked Houston freeways, trying to outscream the ambient noise of the highway because their car air conditioners were off and windows rolled down to save gas. Guest Services, a division of DaVita, created "The Rita Hotline," a 24/7 recording,
updating it frequently to let patients know what units would be closed and what units would be open. Patients were beaming that they would not have to miss dialysis an extra day. Another way that creativity and necessity joined in a cooperative effort.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN Z. FADEM, M.D., FASN
A disaster like this tests our skill against the greatest force of all, Mother Nature. Ignoring even the most minute detail can spell failure.
What was amazing this past week was how the different organizations in the renal community: CMS, the Networks, the Forum of ESRD Networks, the large dialysis organizations like DaVita, Gambro, Fresenius, RCG, and other stakeholders joined together as a team. It has been several days later.
Business in Houston is returning to normal, and we are moving back to our respective routines. We learned a considerable amount about disaster preparedness, yet there is plenty more to learn. We must, however, keep in mind the spirit of this past week - hectic but teaming with cooperation, excitement and yes, fear. But this past week, the renal community set an example, and each member has a great deal to be proud of.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN Z. FADEM, M.D., FASN
