Hundreds of patients, including some in critical condition and babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, at White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights were evacuated Tuesday after a ‘double-failure’ power outage.
A baby was delivered during the evacuation reported at 11:45 p.m. Monday after firefighters were called to the building near North Boyle Avenue and North State Street regarding a power outage at the hospital’s Specialty Care Center. Flashlights were used to illuminate the room where the baby was delivered, and the mother and baby were doing fine, according to the fire department.
Hospital officials said there was an outage at the height of Sunday’s Tropical Storm Hilary. Backup generators kicked in and were expected to last for three days, they added.
On Monday night, there was a problem with the emergency generator that left the main building without power in what hospital officials called a ‘double-failure.’ Another emergency generator was on the way to the hospital Tuesday morning.
Hospital officials said all patients are safe.
There were 241 patients affected by the loss of power. Some were on ventilators and deemed to be in critical condition. Seven NICU babies were transported, the fire department said.
Portable battery operated devices were used to help with ventilation, the LAFD said.
Firefighters took many of the patients down from the hospital’s upper floors to ambulances so the patients could be taken to designated hospitals. Firefighters assisted some of the patients and carried others down stairs, the LAFD said.
The remaining 211 patients are non-critical and will be moved to the hospital’s South Tower, authorities said.
Details about the causes of the power outages were not immediately available.
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Source: NBC Los Angeles
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