When Hurricane Katrina hit late last August, Louisville native Dr. Charles Smith had to worry not only about the evacuation of his family from their residence in New Orleans, but also about his patients spread out in hospitals and nursing homes around the city. An internal medicine lung specialist, Smith grew up in Riverwood off Blankenbaker Lane and attended medical school at the University of Louisville. His wife Lynn, a native of New Orleans (and a Kentucky graduate), and their youngest child, Kathryn, evacuated to Louisville, where he joined them a few days later after power generators to the main hospital where he sees patients failed. The Smiths lived in a house here until Christmas while Kathryn finished out her fall semester at Sacred Heart Academy, then returned to their home in Louisiana.
Q: What happened when Katrina hit that Sunday a year ago?
We prepared by dragging our furniture upstairs, covering things in plastic. I went to my office. If something happened I wanted to be near the hospital (Touro Infirmary). My daughter and I spent the night there.
The storm missed New Orleans by almost 40 miles. We thought we had dodged a bullet. We made rounds in the morning, then went to check on the house. It was in pretty good shape. We were hoping at that point that it might be business as usual maybe by Thursday. We would just need to get the lights back on."
Q: Did the hospitals lose power too?
They were on generators. It’s nothing like having electricity. The hospitals were very hot. The staff was pretty organized — passing out water bottles to everybody, making sure everyone was hydrated. They were as prepared as they could be. At that point they said the pumps could handle the water and that it wouldn’t rise.
Q: Where did they s/files/storyimages/the patients?
By Wednesday the hospital had run out of generator fluid. It was really hot. They moved a lot of the patients to the parking lot. It was much cooler out there. Everybody worked a lot harder because of the stress level. I was pleased how everyone was pitching in — putting the greater good of others before themselves.
The full evacuation was on Thursday. A lot of patients were taken to the airport. A government triage unit was set up there. The patients fly off and you really don’t know what happens to them. Over the next few months I figured out what happened to them, where they were and that they were OK.
Q: Where was your family all this time?
It was nerve-racking because I couldn’t talk to my family for a few days. They drove to Baton Rouge on Tuesday. At least I kind of knew they were out of there and OK. It was scary because of all the reports of looters. You didn’t know if you were going to encounter violence trying to leave town. Fortunately, we had a police and fire escort on Thursday and didn’t have any problems.
Q: What challenges does the medical community face now?
The hospital was closed for a month. We were able to open back up in New Orleans on a generator in October and I shuttled back and forth from New Orleans (to Louisville). The main problem wasn’t supplies, but getting labor. Labor is still a problem because of the lack of housing in New Orleans. It seems like someone comes back every month; it’s kind of fun to get them back in the office working. It will be a really slow process. A lot of doctors left town.
Q: And for patients, are there any complications arising because of last year’s storm?
There was talk of a Katrina Cough and worries about mold and diseases, but really it’s more psychiatric illnesses — depression. Peoples’ lives have changed so dramatically. The mental aspect will be an ongoing thing for a long time. We book more time for each patient because we know we’ll sp/files/storyimages/a lot more time talking to them about their Katrina experience.
Q: Would you stay again if another hurricane like Katrina hit?
You kind of wonder about that. At the hospital, they’ve dug a well and solved some generator problems. The plan would be to try to stay open through the whole thing unless there’s major physical damage. So, yeah, I would stay again. I’ve had a few friends who moved out of town and aren’t coming back. But you make new friends and you just kind of move on, you know?
