Mayhem hampering hospital evacuations
CNN ^ | Wednesday, August 31, 2005
A private ambulance service says it is being hindered in its efforts to evacuate patients from New Orleans hospitals by the lawlessness in the city and appealed to President Bush to activate the military.
"If we don't have the federal presence in New Orleans tonight at dark, it will no longer be safe to be there, hospital or no hospital," Acadian Ambulance Services chief executive officer Richard Zuschlag told CNN.
Acadian, based in Lafayette, Louisiana, is trying to evacuate some 2,000 patients from hospitals before nightfall Wednesday, including dozens of critically ill babies at medical facilities with no electricity or water.
The firm's priority is getting out 25 critically ill infants from Children's Hospital and 100 babies from Touro Infirmary, said spokeswoman Julie Mahfouz.
Zuschlag said part of the reason Touro requested the evacuation of its 175 patients -- including 100 babies -- "is the unrest in New Orleans."
He said his workers have been victims of the looting and mayhem across the city.
"My people are in harm's way," he said. "They are scared. Our command station about an hour ago had the generator stolen off the back of it. We've had an ambulance turned over.
"Things are not good in New Orleans. It's very serious now."
An Alabama medical team helped evacuate four babies from Ochsner Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit Tuesday and planned to get two more out Wednesday. It may also help evacuate newborns from Children's Hospital.
The main reason for the evacuation is that the floodwater has knocked out electricity, and backup generators have been rendered useless because there is no way to get fuel.
The hospitals Acadian is evacuating include Tulane, Charity, Veterans, Memorial, Children's, Touro and University. Mahfouz said calls were coming in every minute.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ... |
