A string of severe storms and tornadoes swept through Mississippi on April 28, 2014 leaving a path of destruction felt across several states. Among the destruction, once stood the Winston Medical Center, a hospital in the town of Louisville, Mississippi that received extensive damage, causing it to be knocked out of commission. In response to meeting the community’s immediate medical needs, FEMA for the first time, helped build a mobile hospital not far from where the existing damaged hospital structure once stood. The temporary Winston Medical Center consists of an intensive care unit, emergency department equipped with an X-ray unit as well as additional essential services. Here’s an excerpt of an article from Kansas First News discussing the mobile hospital: What we want to do is get operation as a hospital as quick as we can and start providing the services that we normally provide as a hospital,” said Winston Medical Center Administrator Paul Black. The disaster hospital catapults Louisville into the spotlight. It’s the first time FEMA has used it as a fully operational hospital in the entire country. “It’s not a time that we want to be a bright and shining star in the eyes of others in the world,” said Louisville Mayor Will Hill. “But when you’re dealt this hand, we have to deal with it. We’re delighted that we’ve had the support.” Read more about the hospital at kansasfirstnews/2014/05/06/fema-erects-new-national-mobile-disaster-hospital/. Here are some photos of the mobile hospital being constructed and tested to ensure all equipment is operational. For more updates on ongoing recovery efforts, visit the Mississippi disaster page at fema.gov/disaster/4175.
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 15:59:56 +0000