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Edited on Fri Sep-02-05 10:16 AM by MercutioATC
My sister's ex-neighbor, as I've mentioned, is a now a pediatric cardiologist at Tulane University Hospital. He knows a doctor who's stuck at Pendleton Memorial Hospital. Here's the e-mails sent from the Pendleton doctor's wife (names edited):
Dear All,
Please, we need your continued assistance. This is a letter from a doctor at Methodist Hospital, on the east side of New Orleans. I can only assume that all the hospitals in New Orleans are in the same situation. FEMA is diverting/absconding all supplies, copters, boats fromt the hospitals and using them for the superdome/convention evacuees. The hospital patients are dying. If they are not going to be evacuated immediately, they absolutely must get supplies. Please please get the word out. The contact doctor is XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Her number is listed at the bottom. She is easy to get in touch with. I've already spoken with her and let her know that we're trying to get the word out about their situation.
As for Tulane, we have not heard from them since last night when the airlifts stopped. They were okay then and were expecting evacution this morning. Given this newest information, though, I'm not sure when that's going to happen.
Thank you,
XXXXXXX
Contrary to what has been reported on the news, Methodist Hospital, including
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX have not been evacuated, and the details are
grisly. FEMA has been intercepting supplies sent to the hospital, and patient
and staff evacuations have essentially ceased.
If anyone can help bring attention to this problem, please help us. Below are
some facts related to us by the staff at the hospital during one of the few
occasions we have been able to talk to them.
600 People in hospital
13 patients on gurneys
Staff is dehydrating
FEMA is DIVERTING support being sent in by UHS (owners of hospital) away from
the hospital
Temperature 110 degrees with humidity
NO fuel left to operate the hospital power
NO communication with National Guard to coordinate evacuation of patients
Having to feed 500+ non-patient refugees – they are very close to rioting for
the balance of food water and supplies
NO power, NO communication
Everything is manual – no xray – running out of supplies
Patients are on the 2nd floor and 3rd floor – having to carry patients up the
stairs and the helicopters don’t come back
Without power, the ventilator dependant patients are being manually bagged in 1
hour shifts by staff
Refusing to take gurney patients
FEMA is commandeering all supplies and all private efforts to get supplies
including fuel, food, water
Governor is misrepresenting what is going on
Snakes in hospital
Rashes on staff from water
Losing nurses as a result of dehydration
Need FEMA to land on roof and prove what they are saying is correct
No security – uprising for food, water and supplies
Governor did not allow for the evacuation of the hospitals and now won’t help
Uprising of refugees
This E-mail was sent yesterday
Dear All,
We cannot thank you enough. Since sending out my SOS e-mail this afternoon, yall have done the most amazing job of spreading the word. Thanks to you, the news is now all over CNN, I've been contacted by multiple news affiliates (CBS, NPR, NBC, People), Senator Frist is calling an emergency meeting of Congress, and the FEMA director is having my e-mail hand-delivered to him.
XXXXXXXXX (the other physician's wife) and I have been in touch with XXXXX and XXXX through the afternoon. Suddenly, there is a myriad of guardsmen and helicopters pouring into the city. Tulane will complete its personnel evacuation in the next two hours, and aid is finally reaching Charity. We are beginning our drive to Lafayette now, where we hope to pick up XXXXXX and XXXXX late tonight.
You, as regular concerned citizens, have single-handedly played a major role in this disaster and in the span of hours have saved hundreds if not thousands of lives. XXXXX & XXXXX tell me that Charity would have likely completely fallen apart without your aid. You are amazing.
Words cannot express our gratitude. You're bringing our husbands, colleagues, family members, and desperate patients home.
Thank you,
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The reason I posted these letters is that I hadn't heard that FEMA was commandeering supplies meant for hospitals. Apparently they are (or were). This needs to be known, because the media sure as hell isn't going to report it.
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