Hurricane Katrina (Katrina), a category 5 hurricane, made landfall in Florida and Louisiana, particularly the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas in August 2005, causing catastrophic damage. Katrina became a large and extremely powerful hurricane, causing massive destruction and significant loss of life. It was the costliest hurricane to ever hit the US, surpassing the record previously held by the 1992 hurricane, Hurricane Andrew. In addition, Katrina was one of the five deadliest hurricanes to ever strike the US. In all, it was responsible for over 1,833 fatalities and approximately $108 billion in damage (un-adjusted 2005 dollars). .

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LIFE AND DEATH AT MEMORIAL – CONSEQUENCES OF AMBIGUOUS LEADERSHIP AUTHORITY

By the time Hurricane Katrina started lashing New Orleans in the wee hours of August 29, 2005, Memorial was overcrowded with patients, healthcare workers and their family members, men, women, Pets and children from the nearby locality who came to seek accommodation. “The hospital was being powered by generators. It was hot and incredibly humid, but we had some lighting, elevator services, and workable medical equipment. We had running water on Monday, but the water was not “clean” and could not be used for dialysis or for drinking. Rations of food and water were provided for patients and healthcare workers who were considered essential personnel,” stated Dr. Pou in an interview in August 2010...

Dr. ANNA POU: VIRTUOUS OR GUILTY?

On September 11, 2005, 13 days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, mortuary workers recovered 45 decomposing bodies from Memorial. This was the largest number of bodies found at any Katrina-struck hospital or nursing home and so it attracted the attention of the state attorney’s office. The state’s Justice Department’s phones soon began ringing with claims of patients’ abandonment and euthanasia. One of the people who called was a LifeCare lawyer who relayed a report that nine of the company’s patients may have been given lethal doses of medicines by a Memorial doctor and nurses...

EXHIBITS

Exhibit I: Memorial’s Layout
Exhibit II: Hospitals in New Orleans as of April 1, 2005
Exhibit III: The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations