Six Hospital Evacuations In NY-NJ. Hospitals Closed For A Drone Weapons Site

The storm that hit the U.S. East Coast Oct. 29 exposed the harm done by capitalist priorities in the crucial areas of essential health care and electric power for millions.

Some 400 available industrial-scale generators sat unused while four major New York City hospitals located in flood zones and two New Jersey hospitals were forced to evacuate on an emergency basis. In the hospitals both the main energy source and emergency backup generators failed, providing the clearest possible example of bone- deep hospital and infrastructure maintenance cuts.

Meanwhile, high-rise apartment houses and entire neighborhoods went for days without electric power. That meant days without drinking water, flush toilets, heat or functioning elevators. This creates life-threatening conditions, especially for seniors, the disabled and infants.

Every decision in this capitalist society is based on the necessity to maximize profit, even when conditions for tens of thousands of people hang in the balance. The response to Hurricane Sandy exposed callous disregard, years of neglect and complete lack of planning.

Wall Street up quickly

In contrast to the neglect elsewhere, the Wall Street Stock Exchange was up and running with backup generators in 36 hours. Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared this a major victory. For the corporate rulers, it was.

Meanwhile, the desperate attempts to evacuate hundreds of patients from hospitals were turned into a sideline human-interest story. Medical personnel hauled fuel and water up flights of steps in a desperate effort to keep the backup generators functioning. Then they carried patients down darkened stairwells, operating respirators by hand for newborn infants in mass evacuations.

Managers and officials knew well in advance of the storm how unprepared NYC hospitals would be in the face of a crisis, but they made no preparations and heeded no warnings: “The problem of unreliable backup electricity at hospitals is not new. Over the first six months of the year, 23 percent of the hospitals inspected by the Joint Commission, a health care facility accreditation group, were found to be out of compliance with standards for backup power and lighting.” (AP, Nov. 1)

City officials understood the potential problems for New York University Hospital and Coney Island Hospital so well that they ordered evacuations before Hurricane Irene in 2011. Though storm and evacuation warnings were more dire for Hurricane Sandy and began a week in advance, NYU Hospital spokeswoman Allison Clair said, “This year we were not told to evacuate by the city.” (CBS/AP, Oct. 31)

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