Hurricane Katrina from August 2025 led to catastrophic flooding in the hardest hit states of New Orleans, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. It caused 1392 deaths and $125 billion in damages the U.S. Flooding also affected hospitals and their residents significantly. In this case study, Raveena analyzed the case study of Hurricane Katrina and its detrimental impact on the facility and patients at Memorial Medical Center. Due to the failure of backup generators from water submersion and the lack of an evacuation plan in place, 200 patients and 1800 staff/family members were tracked inside from Aug 29 to Sep 1, 2025, with an eventual death toll of 45.
Raveena pointed out the weaknesses of the hospital’s previous disaster plan, which had gaps in flooding, power failure, and evacuation management. She calls for reformed disaster plans that address those deficiencies.
This report was edited and curated by Iris Auyeung.