Staff at a Louisiana hospital in the path of Hurricane Ida manually pumped air into the lungs of COVID-19 patients after a generator failed and the ventilators stopped working in an intensive care unit on Sunday.
Heroic healthcare workers at Thibodaux Regional Health System in Lafourche Parish were forced to bag patients by hand while they were transported via the stairs to another floor, officials with the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed to NOLA.com.
Fortunately, the outage was relatively brief. Officials from Thibodaux Regional Health System shared on Facebook Sunday evening that "the backup generator that was affected earlier by winds from the hurricane is back online at the current time."
"Due to the unknown impacts that the storm may still produce we are closely monitoring the situation," the posted added. "We continue to provide a safe environment for our patients and staff."
State Rep. Jerome Zeringue told NOLA.com that he was in touch with a physician who described conditions inside as "Katrinaesque."
Hurricane Ida, which struck Louisiana as a devastating Category 4 storm on Sunday, hit as the state is dealing with record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases.
Gov. John Bel Edwards told The Associated Press on Sunday that more than 2,400 COVID-19 patients are currently in Louisiana hospitals, saying the state was in a "very dangerous place with our hospitals."
Our hearts are with Louisiana and the heroes leading its people through this catastrophic event.
Source: Read Full Article