Saturday August 30 at 1300:
From Frank Webster MD to all psychiatrists interested in volunteering. Please see August 28 e-mail below for details on how to register.From Frank Webster MD to all psychiatrists interested in volunteering. Please see August 28 e-mail below for details on how to register.
Dear Psychiatrists: Today Gustav is a Category 4 Hurricane.
The probability line is essentially unchanged, anticipating a landfall in Central Louisiana about half way between New Orleans and the LA/TX border, and is expected to reach land late Monday/early Tuesday. NHC probability forecasts the remnants to hit the North Texas area Thursday morning.
So far, the only statistics on evacuees here are about 250 critical care patients from hospitals that are coming in to DFW Airport today. These are hospital to hospital transfers. About 4100 people are forecast to arrive from New Orleans on Sunday and Monday.
There are a few circumstances that could make this different for the Dallas area than the Katrina Situation:
1. Reunion Arena is closed and slated for demolition and is not currently considered habitable (according to reports in the Dallas Morning News).
2. There is a Wal-Mart Convention for about 8000 people scheduled to start on Tuesday. This will limit capacity at the Convention Center to about 1000 people. The Rec Center at Samuel-East Grand is scheduled to be used as an evacuation site, as are possibly other rec centers.
3. This would potentially decentralize the service sites, and may require more coordination of services.
We are working to have both physician and non-physician mental health staff available.
I would anticipate if we are going to be called to provide services, that those calls could start as early as tomorrow. Please be aware of that, and again, I appreciate your flexibility.
Thursday, August 28: From Frank Webster MD (sent to those directly or indirectly involved in our community’s Psychiatric Emergency Services).
As you have no doubt heard, Hurricane Gustav is moving into the Gulf of Mexico, forecast to be somewhere between a category 2-4 hurricane, and has a 5 day projected landfall zone of somewhere between the panhandle of Florida to the Padre Island area. The current probability track forecast is centered just west of New Orleans and East of the Beaumont Port Arthur area. The storm is presently forecast to make landfall on Monday morning (Labour Day).
It is unlikely, but certainly within the realm of possibility, depending on where this storm hits, and how strong the storm is, that the North Texas area could again play host to a significant number of evacuees. If we are going to see a large influx it will likely be Sun/Mon/Tue/Wed where we would need people to be available.
As we know from the situation with Hurricane Katrina, if we do have a large number of evacuees, many of them will have psychiatric conditions, and many will likely be here without medications. Rapid assessment and treatment will be crucial to not overwhelm an already stressed crisis system.
My understanding is that the Red Cross and Dallas County are beginning to coordinate any response.
What we need those of you who are direct care providers to do is:
1. Be aware we may have a massive increase in demand for crisis resources early next week, similar to Hurricane Katrina.
2. Please keep your schedules flexible from Sunday forward to respond as conditions merit.
3. Please track the news so you will be aware of how likely a crisis response will be.
4. Please make sure that Agnes Hamilton (agnes.hamilton@utsouthwestern.edu) (or 214-648-7522) all of your updated contact information.
5. Please check your email over the weekend.
Thank you very much ahead of time, and I sincerely hope I am raising anxiety for an event that will not happen. It is infinitely better to do that than to be unprepared.
Frank Webster, MD
Medical Director Psychiatric Emergency Services Parkland Memorial Hospital/UT Southwestern
Medical Director Integrated Crisis Services Green Oaks Hospital
