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Culturally Speaking: The South Florida Sunday Podcast
Medical Emergencies During Hurricane Season with Dr. Adam Goldstone, Director of Emergency Medicine at Good Samaritan Medical Center
00:08:22
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- [00:00]
A
Is it already hurricane season? I mean, where did this year go? Well, as you know, the best time to prepare for a hurricane is before the rush, like now. So I've invited Dr. Adam Goldstone, the director of emergency medicine at Good Samaritan Medical center, part of Palm Beach Health Network, on, to talk about the things that we kind of tend to forget our health. Thank you so much for joining me today.
- [00:21]
B
My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
- [00:23]
A
Of course. Now, with hurricane season starting June 1, the season can bring everything from flooding to power outages to injuries during cleanup. What are some of the most common emergencies you see before, during and after the storm?
- [00:37]
B
Sure. So you know, before the storm hits, we mostly see minor injuries from last minute preparations, like lots of cuts and scrapes. We see back injuries, but some are more severe. Falls from ladders are common when people are up boarding up their windows.
- [00:54]
A
Oh, right.
- [00:55]
B
And you know, you have traffic accidents from people scrambling to either evacuate or, or stock up supplies during the storm. The big ones are gonna be trauma from flying debris, slip and falls, injuries related to flooding and storm surge. And then after the storm, we see illnesses related to the prolonged power outages that we get, like heat related illness, dehydration, foodborne illness, and consequences of running out of your medication.
- [01:24]
A
So timing wise, when do you think you see the most injuries?
- [01:28]
B
I would say the longest period of time is the time after the storm, you know, during the cleanup and the power outages that can be pretty widespread. So I would say that's when we see most of the issues.
- [01:40]
A
Yeah, people out and about after the storm and they're either curious or you're trying to clean up or getting into something, they're a little stir crazy.
- [01:48]
B
Exactly.
- [01:49]
A
So many people focus on stocking up on food and water. But what about medical supplies? What medical supplies should every family make sure that they have as the hurricane approaches?
- [01:59]
B
Yeah, I mean, I usually recommend that people should have at least two weeks supply of all their prescriptions. You can call your pharmacy for early refills if you know a storm is forecasted and you think you're going to run out during or immediately after the storm. You know, you should have a solid first aid kit that includes like bandages, gauze, tape, gloves, a tourniquet, keep a cooler with ice packs. You know, your refrigerator is going to be out of power, so you know to keep any medications that need to be refrigerated in it. And then, you know, also have a copy of your prescriptions, you know, your copy of your medical record history, insurance cards, doctor's contact info in case you have flooding or in case you have to evacuate suddenly.
- [02:38]
A
And I love that you pointed out that you need to have enough medicine after the storm because I think so many people are just focused on getting through the storm that they don't think about the weeks and even months after.
- [02:49]
B
Yeah, exactly.
- [02:50]
A
Now, for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease, asthma even, what extra precautions should they take ahead of the storm?
- [02:59]
B
Yeah, so, you know, these individuals are probably the most vulnerable. So, you know, for an insulin dependent diabetic, you know, they're going to want to make sure they have extra insulin, their glucose testing supplies, like I mentioned before, a cooler, because insulin needs to be refrigerated. You know, patients with heart disease should make sure they have their blood pressure medication, their heart medication. Patients with asthma, you know, maybe an extra inhaler ready to go in case they need that. You know, you have to give yourself plenty of time to evacuate and make sure you. They bring everything with them because, you know, a shelter may not have what they need there. So make sure they have it with them.
- [03:33]
A
Exactly. And with asthma too, with the storm and all the winds and everything falling, it, it could bring other stuff in the air so that you could, you know, trigger an asthma attack even if you haven't had one in months.
- [03:43]
B
Yes, A lot of dust, a lot of, you know, that kind of thing. Yeah.
- [03:46]
A
We also hear a lot about people getting hurt during storm prep or even after the clearing and stuff. So what are some of those common mistakes you're seeing before being made?
- [03:56]
B
Well, there are a couple, I would say.
- [03:58]
A
Doing it yourself.
- [04:01]
B
Well, that could be one for sure. That certainly in the preparation phase. But you know, ignoring evacuation orders, you know, this puts you, your family, first responders at risk. You know, people should be aware that once the sustained winds of a storm exceed a certain level, EMS will suspend their operations. So you could be on your own for a period of time. You know, any evacuation order should absolutely be taken seriously. Running generators in unsafe places is a mistake people can make. You know, make sure that generators are always outside, away from the house, ventilated, and then, you know, avoid driving or walking through flooded areas. You know, goes without saying that nobody should be on the road during the storm. But even after, unless it's absolutely necessary, you know, stay home. You know, floodwater is highly contaminated. It can really make you sick. And even shallow appearing water can be deceptive and very dangerous.
- [04:52]
A
Exactly. And you know, you just brought up a point with evacuation orders, a lot of people tend to ignore them. And then they get into a problem. Well, at that point, you're not only just risking your life, you're risking the life of the first responders, like you said before. And you know, I don't want to say it's like a selfish decision. I know that people want to stay home, but if you have an evacuation ordered, I mean, would you rather be uncomfortable for a few days or lose your life? Because that's a possibility at that point right now. You also brought up about the generators inside. There was a huge campaign about letting people know that it's not okay to have them inside or in enclosed spaces, even if there's like a little door open or something like that. Are you still seeing a lot of those cases of like carbon monoxide poisoning
- [05:34]
B
or, you know, thankfully we don't see it too often, but you know, carbon monoxide is, as, you know, it's deadly. You know, it's invisible, it's odorless, and you know, you may not realize it until it's too late. So, you know, if you're going to run a generator, make sure it's well maintained, it's positioned safely away from your home, well ventilated area. Everybody should have a carbon monoxide detector in their home.
- [05:59]
A
Yes.
- [06:00]
B
And make sure the batteries are working.
- [06:01]
A
Yes, I was going to say that. And change the batteries now.
- [06:04]
B
Yes, yes.
- [06:06]
A
So power outages can also create a dangerous situation as well. We also talked about the Florida heat.
- [06:11]
B
Yeah. So, you know, they should be aware that, you know, during a prolonged outage, food may spoil in the fridge and become unsafe. So make sure you're careful about that. You gotta make sure you have plenty of water. Try to stay in the coolest room in your home. You know, dehydration and heat related illness is a big problem, especially in the middle of Florida summer after a storm. You know, weather is usually beautiful right after a hurricane. So, you know, it gets really hot really fast and down power lines. You know, make sure you stay well away from those so you don't get injured from that.
- [06:41]
A
Okay, hear me out. Everything else going on, we also don't think about our mental health, stress levels, all that. What are some warning signs that stress or anxiety may be a little bit more serious? And what should you do?
- [06:53]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is a great question because it is, it is something everyone should be aware of. Some things you want to look for is if panic and anxiety persist after the storm has passed, or if a friend or loved one is having trouble sleeping or having nightmares, is becoming more withdrawn from friends and family if they're having thoughts of harming themselves, feeling hopeless or guilty, These are all kind of really red flag signs that something more serious is going on, they should seek help.
- [07:23]
A
That's really great advice. What about someone, if they're not sure whether or not they should go to the ER during severe weather, how should they decide if it's truly an emergency for them?
- [07:33]
B
Yeah, this is a very broad question and not very easy to answer. I mean, the short answer is if you're not sure, you're never wrong to come to the emergency department or call 911 to be safe. But in general, you know, any kind of chest pain or difficulty breathing, signs of stroke, uncontrolled bleeding, sudden severe headache, fainting seizure, dehydration with dizziness or confusion, these are all emergencies that should be seen in the emergency department right away.
- [08:02]
A
Dr. Goldstone, thank you so much for your time today. Is there a hurricane guide like this online somewhere or where can we find these hurricane safety tips?
- [08:11]
B
I'm pretty sure the Florida Division of Emergency Management puts out stuff on their website that you can find, and they have a lot of the same things we talked about today.
- [08:18]
A
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for your time today.
- [08:20]
B
Oh, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.