Firefighters in Los Angeles were forced to evacuate more than 200 hospital patients Monday night after a power outage in the midst of Tropical Storm Hilary left them vulnerable.
A total of 241 patients at White Memorial Hospital’s Specialty Care Center were evacuated amid heavy rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Hilary after backup generators failed to restore power to the six-story facility, NBC News reported. The specialty center contains the neonatal intensive care (NICU) and OBGYN units, the outlet stated.
Calling the operation a “very large scope emergency,” LA City Fire Capt. Cody Weireter revealed that fire officials and paramedics had to coordinate their efforts in order to safely transport patients, with some having to be physically carried down flights of stairs, CNN reported.
Update: Baby delivered during evacuation due to power outage at Boyle Heights hospital. https://t.co/QMUO0GSFzY
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) August 22, 2023
“Because of the fact that no elevators were working… firefighters had to work together in conjunction with doctors on site and provide that same level of care that you would have with a ventilator or with special equipment and then go down those flights of stairs,” Weireter told ABC 7 News. (RELATED: Chaotic Scenes As Tropical Storm Hilary Hits US)
Of the 271 patients evacuated, approximately 28 were deemed to be in critical condition — 14 of those were infants in the NICU, the outlet stated.
In addition to transporting patients, responding officials found themselves offering medical assistance when a patient gave birth in the midst of the total blackout. Battery-powered flashlights were used to help safely deliver the child. Both mother and infant are doing well, ABC 7 News reported.
It is unknown whether the power outage was due to the effects of the storm.