Safe emergency evacuation of a Tertiary Care Hospital during the 'once in a century' floods in Chennai, India

Abstract

The coastal city of Chennai, India, was inundated by unprecedented heavy rains during the last week of November 2015, in what was billed as a 'once in a century' floods. Over 350 people lost their lives in the floods. Global Hospital, a 250-bedded tertiary care hospital in Chennai, was heavily flooded leaving more than 100 patients and their relatives stranded inside with access totally cutoff from the rest of the world. This article describes how these patients, many in the Intensive Care Unit on ventilators, were safely managed within the hospital for over 48 h on very limited power supply and resources and then safely evacuated by fishing boats to three other city hospitals. Careful planning, anticipating hazards, identifying critical areas, effective communication and team work contributed to the successful management of this situation.