Here’s why increased COVID hospitalizations could cause chaos if hurricane hits Horry
When an incoming hurricane forces Grand Strand evacuations, coastal hospitals are typically able to transfer most of their patients to other facilities inland.
But local emergency leaders are concerned that might not be possible with the influx of COVID-19 patients filling most Myrtle Beach-area hospitals.
Faced with the continued threat of a severe hurricane season, Horry County leaders are now focused on messaging to try to reduce ambulance calls and emergency room visits.
Randy Webster, the county’s emergency management director, told The Sun News that the combination of population growth and increased coronavirus patients have pushed local hospitals and first responders to the brink.
He said residents and visitors need to really be selective when deciding whether to call for an ambulance or visit the ER.
The county recently advised that increased ambulance response times are likely with Horry County Fire Rescue seeing call volume and emergency crews having to wait at hospitals for bed availability.
Webster noted that the county typically averages about 170 calls per day to 911 in August, but that number has shot up to about 220 per day this year.
“If you call 911, we’ll be there, but if it’s something that be delayed or avoided, that would be fantastic,” he said.
Drawing down those patient loads is important, Webster noted, in case of a hurricane-initiated evacuation because the local hospitals are currently so full, they’d have to coordinate more with hospitals in other counties.
Dr. Paul Richardson, chief medical officer at Conway Medical Center, told The Sun News they usually accepts patients from coastal facilities because they don’t fall in an evacuation zone, but that wouldn’t be possible right now.
“To be quite frank with you the emergency room is slammed,” he said. “Our ability to absorb any patients would be next to nonexistent. Currently, we do not have the capacity to absorb any patients from a hospital that may be closer to the coast.”
Gayle Resetar, chief operating officer at Tidelands Health, worried that hospitals are filling up statewide.
“Not only are there dwindling hospital beds along our coast here, there are really dwindling hospital beds all over the state,” she said. “And so the normal routine that you would have to move patient to hospitals, don’t have the capacity.”
Hurricane shelters
Beyond concerns about hospital evacuations, Webster also expressed unease about hurricane shelter capacity.
While emergency personnel feel more prepared this year for an evacuation during a pandemic, particularly with increased availability of personal protective equipment, Webster noted the county only has a limited number of shelters, and they’d have to reduce capacity within those shelters by about one-third to allow for social distancing.
He added that there’s no ability for Horry County to add shelters due to requirements of buildings to withstand certain wind loads, but they could potentially open shelters in nearby counties if enough staff is available.
Webster advised residents need to be thinking about hurricane preparedness now.
“If you have no other choice but to use a shelter, go early and be prepared to be in a covid environment,” he said. “If you have other options, ... please do that, so that people without other options can be there.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
