Posted on 08/27/2007 10:04:28 AM PDT by Melpomene
The conditions were unbearable. Inside the hospital it was pitch black, with odors, smell, human waste everywhere. It was very rancid. You would take a breath in and it would burn the back of your throat. The patients were very sick. That’s when we had to go from triage to reverse triage because we came to realize if patients aren’t being evacuated, [we had to deal with what we had]. Basically it was a general consensus that we’re not going to be able to save everybody. We hope that we can, but we realize everybody may not make it out.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
By the time Wednesday evening came around, if you can imagine in our mind, there is a central area that is a sea of people. A lot of very sick patients in that central triage area. It’s grossly backed up. Few patients had been evacuated. So there was just enough space to walk between the stretchers. It is extremely dark. We’re having to care for patients by flashlight. There were patients that were moaning, patients that are crying. We’re trying to cool them off. We had some dirty water we could use, some ice. We were sponging them down, giving them sips of bottled water, those who could drink. The heat was—there is no way to describe that heat. I was in it and I can’t believe how hot it was. There are people fanning patients with cardboard, nurses everywhere, a few doctors and wall-to-wall patients. Patients are so frightened and we’re saying prayers with them. We kind of looked around at each other and said, “You know there’s not a whole lot we can really do for those people.” We’re waiting [for help]. The people in that area could have [been evacuated] by boat but no boats were coming. I would do what I could with the nurses: changing diapers, cooling patients down with fanning. It wasn’t like, “I’m a doctor, you’re a nurse.” We were all human beings trying to help another human being, whatever it took.
It doesn't help that Charles Foti, the attorney general in charge of the investigation is a grandstanding politician who will do anything for press coverage.
Foti-Nifonging.
You and I disagree on this story, but I thought you might be interested in this for your ping lists.
You’ll get no disagreement from me.
Proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished.
The people I despise most on earth are those who are entirely absent during the most mind boggling nightmarish scenarios, and then sit back on there useless fat butts and nitpik every little descision that was made under the most unimaginably horrific circumstances.
Why do they always turn out to be liberal Democrats?
At first, I was on Foti’s side, but the more I learned about the case, the less I agreed with him. I think they did everything they could to help the patients in that hospital.
Carolyn
Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s rebuild this whole thing and get all the people back that left so that we can have this same experience again some day.
/s
Many of them are here.
Why didn’t they evacuate them long before Katrina hit?
We just GOTTA rebuild a city that’s BELOW SEA LEVEL.
Then we can DO IT ALL AGAIN.
Wunnerfull.
I think the good doc was hopelessly railroaded. The damage done by yet another abusive DA will negatively impact on New Orleans for a generation.
If she were only “chocolate,” this malicious false prosecution would never have happened.
I have no firsthand knowledge. Nothing I have read causes me to conclude that anyone was murdered. The grand jury came to the same conclusion.
I think I am more inclined to side with the care-givers because they are the ones who stayed, literally risking their lives, while others, including family members, fled.
This doctor and the others with her have dedicated their lives to help people. The ONLY way to say they “murdered” anyone is to look in their hearts for intent. Does anyone really believe this doctor had evil intentions in her heart?
The evacuation order had exceptions for hospitals, prisons, some officials, etc. Also, they probably did not think their generators would go down.
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