Power failures force hospitals to scramble By DALE LEZON Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle

Medical Center hospitals still without electrical power on Sunday scrambled to care for patients, transferring some and discharging others.

Such flood-related power outages could have been avoided, hospital officials acknowledge, if power sources were located above ground instead of in basements.

Memorial Hermann Hospital was hardest hit, evacuating all 540 patients and stopping all services for the first time since opening in 1925. Hospital officials hope to reopen Sunday.

Life Flight, which helped transfer patients, returned to regular service at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Power was knocked out at Memorial Hermann, a Level 1 trauma center, after water reached nearly 10 feet in the basement, where vital electricity components and medical equipment are located. Water was still being pumped out late Sunday.

"We need to seriously consider placing all medical and electrical components above ground," Chief Executive Officer James Eastham said.

Basement areas are equipped with pumps to clear water, but they were overwhelmed by Saturday's rain, he said.

The auxiliary generators are above ground, but the switches and wiring between the main power source and the backup are in the basement, Eastham said.

The hospital's cardiac-care procedure area and other labs are also in the basement. Damages to the cardiac machines alone may reach as high as $20 million, Eastham said.

County Judge Robert Eckels said the Medical Center hospitals have been working for years on an emergency-operations plan, including relocating power sources to well above ground to avoid power outages in floods.

"This event will very much help to spur action on the plan," Eckels said.

Improvements at Medical Center hospitals have helped lessen power outages, but if wiring, circuit breakers and other auxiliary power equipment are underground they will always be susceptible to damage in heavy floods, said Graham Painter, spokesman for Reliant HL&P.

Between about 5 a.m. Saturday and about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, nearly 300 volunteers carried Memorial Hermann patients down darkened stairwells and halls to ambulances or helicopters. They used flashlights and other portable lights to find their way in the dimly lit hospital.

"It was just a tremendous outpouring of support, effort, time and brawn," said Beth Sartori, hospital spokeswoman.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, which lost some power Saturday, had most of its electricity restored by Sunday afternoon. The hospital's main and secondary power generators are in lower floors in its older buildings, but in the hospital's new buildings power supplies are on the second floor.

"We will remodel old buildings and change location of power supply out of basements," said David Pate, medical director for St. Luke's.

All surgical and elective procedures scheduled for today have been postponed at St. Luke's, as have X-rays and diagnostic tests. Those procedures are expected to resume Tuesday.

Volunteers helped evacuate all but 270 of St. Luke's 500 patients. Most were transferred to the hospital's tower, where doctor's offices are located, but others were sent to the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Texas Children's Hospital, M.D. Anderson and Ben Taub.

"It was just wonderful all these people who left their homes out of concern for our patients," Pate said.

St. Luke's nurses were transferred with the patients, even those who were sent to other hospitals. Pate said it was unclear when all patients would return to the hospital.

St. Luke's kitchen was closed, but businesses donated meals to the hospital.

Methodist Hospital discharged 183 people who would be "better" off at home and the hospital's emergency room was closed, said Nicole Rubin, hospital spokeswoman.

All elective surgeries and outpatient services have been canceled for today. Methodist has 507 patients left.

Hospital officials said they were uncertain when all services will be restored.

Ben Taub, also a Level 1 trauma center, was undamaged in the flooding. Memorial Hermann emergency staff are helping to staff the hospital.

Ben Taub's power sources are well above ground to avoid flood-related power failures, said hospital spokesman Terence Cunningham.

Elective procedures and clinic appointments scheduled for today have been canceled at Texas Children's Hospital.

The St. Joseph's emergency room is closed until further notice. Elective surgeries, radiation therapy, outpatient physical therapy and sports medicine procedures are canceled for today and Tuesday.

-- Rich Marsh (marshr@airmail.net), June 11, 2001