Ian spurs ‘indescribable’ evacuation of hospital patients
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(NewsNation) — Hurricane Ian’s path of destruction threatened many of Florida’s medical facilities.
At least nine hospitals and a dozen nursing homes had to evacuate or transfer patients after losing power and access to clean water. One hospital’s roof was ripped off.
Hospital Florida Association CEO Mary Mayhew joined NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” on Friday to discuss the large-scale evacuation of hundreds of patients.
“It is indescribable,” Mayhew said. “We are fortunate that hospitals for years have been hardening their facilities to withstand a hurricane.”
According to Mayhew, the biggest challenge area hospitals face right now is the disruption in the public water supply.
“That is affecting three hospitals with roughly over 1,000 patients,” Mayhew said. “There are efforts underway to evacuate some of those patients while at the same time working to get the water restored.”
Watch the full interview in the video player at the top of the page.