By Janet B. Stroud — October 14, 2024 — Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Florida, posted this update at 7:45 a.m. Thursday, October 10, the morning after Category 3 Hurricane Milton blasted the city and the surrounding region on the west coast of Florida:
As the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, Tampa General Hospital remains open and our teams stand ready to care of our community. Last night, our storm mitigation efforts stood strong against #HurricaneMilton. TGH Brooksville, TGH Spring Hill, and TGH Crystal River are operating as normal, serving our community throughout this challenging time.
The update was posted again 7:00 p.m. Sunday, October 13, confirming that Tampa General’s defenses had withstood the ensuing storm surge of some six feet.
So what did the hospital do to prepare for a near-direct hit from Hurricane Milton and for Hurricane Helene, which had devastated the region only two weeks earlier? Emergency preparations included the previous construction of an on-site energy source and water source, and assembling an AquaFence water-impermeable barrier just before each storm to protect against the storm surge.
TGH posted the video below on X during Hurricane Helene to show that the AquaFence barrier was holding:
View more emergency preparation details in the statement that Tampa General released below preceding Hurricane Milton’s landfall.
Tampa General Hospital statement preceding Hurricane Milton
Tampa General Hospital has opened the incident command center and activated its hurricane preparedness plan in advance of Hurricane Milton. The health and safety of patients, team members and community are top priority.
Video overview of Hurricane Milton preparations. Source: Tampa General
“We have a proactive and comprehensive plan in place to protect our locations against severe weather so we can continue to provide the exceptional care for which our patients turn to Tampa General,” said Erinn Skiba, Assistant Director of Public Safety, Tampa General Hospital. “Our fence around the Davis Islands campus is up, supplies are stocked at all hospital locations, and the teams stand ready to provide care through Hurricane Milton.”
Facilities team members prepare large pumps at Tampa General Hospital on Oct. 8, 2024 ahead of Hurricane Milton. Source: Tampa General
Tampa General leadership and team members engage in emergency management training with government and community partners several times throughout the year to plan for and practice response to various emergencies, such as severe weather events.
As the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, the academic health system stands ready to meet the needs of patients throughout the state who require care after the storm has passed.
TGH’s four-story Central Energy Plant holds four generators to provide 100 percent power to the 1,041-bed hospital in the event of an outage. Source: Tampa General
Details on preparations at Tampa General Hospital on Davis Islands include:
- On-Site Energy Source – Tampa General completed construction in 2022 on a 16,000-square-foot Central Energy Plant. Located 33 feet above sea level, this energy plant provides a reliable, protected power supply in the event of power disruption. It is built to withstand the impact and flooding of a Category 5 hurricane. The plant houses generators and boilers that can create steam and hot water.
- On-Site Water Source – In the rare event that water service is disrupted, a well is available to supply water needs. In addition, more than 5,000 gallons of water was moved on site to support patients and team members.
- AquaFence – Tampa General has completed assembly of the AquaFence to protect vulnerable areas of the campus against storm surge and flooding. The AquaFence is a water-impermeable barrier that can withstand storm surge up to 15 feet above sea level.
Sept. 26, 2024: AquaFence protects Tampa General from effects of Hurricane Helene. Photo courtesy AquaFence via TGH.
At Tampa General’s main campus, as well as the three hospitals that make up TGH North, preparations include:
- Supplies Stocked – More than five days of supplies, including food and linens, are on site to support patient care and team members.
- Patient Care – Tampa General health care providers and staff who are trained in emergency management will remain on-site throughout the storm to care for patients. As soon as the storm passes, and the roads are safe, additional providers and staff will return to work to relieve teams and continue supporting response and recovery efforts.
As Tampa General continues to monitor Hurricane Milton, any changes to hours of operation, services available or the visitation policy will be shared online.
For images and B-Roll of the hurricane preparation efforts at Tampa General, visit TGH Hurricane Milton.
