Texas' power outages, water shortages Place Larger strain on hospitals

As a historical winter storm melts electricity and pops pipes around Texas, hospitals at the lone star state are facing extra strain.

TheEditor
TheEditor
18 February 2021 Thursday 13:29
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Texas' power outages, water shortages Place Larger strain on hospitals

Hospitals, currently arguing with COVID-19 patients, are currently helping individuals that their supplemental oxygen tanks have run out, or even people that home medical equipment needs power and must now seek out power in emergency areas, Lori Upton, vice president of the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, told ABC News.

The Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council covers 187 hospitals and 25 counties in the country and helps arrange involving providers, responders and healthcare partners.

With electricity out and provides conducting thin, individuals are turning to hospitals to get what they are accustomed to becoming homebound, like a feeding tube or a external defibrillator that requires batteries to recharge, Upton said.

As of Wednesday, about 800 individuals were being hauled in emergency sections for electricity or oxygen for their gear, '' she said.

Now that they have managed to refill the tanks, they are back up and functioning, '' he said.

Brown known as the water and electricity crisis"worse than a storm"

"In a hurricane you may visit the mainland and escape from it. In this specific scenario, wherever you go in Texas, you still have an issue that's comparable to that which we've got here," he explained.

2 Austin area hospitals also have confronted water flashes, ABC affiliate KVUE reported.

There is also the dilemma of freezing roadways, which makes it treacherous for ambulances to transport patients and also for hospital employees for their modifications security.

Medical City Healthcare hospitals in Dallas and Fort Worth have"provided food and lodging for countless coworkers to ensure staff wouldn't need to travel on treacherous streets and could be available to give patient care," a hospital spokesperson said in a statement. "We have had countless coworkers remain overnight at our hospitals throughout our system. It is remarkable. Everybody is throwing in. Our leaders and workplace coworkers are now picking up colleagues from resorts and houses, changing linens, providing meals"

Click the for tips to remain safe during a power outage and click here to understand how to maintain your water safe through a boil water advisory.