Hospitals in the path of the storm are rushing to evacuate patients.
A mandatory medical evacuation order from South Carolina's governor requires all hospitals to relocate patients by Thursday afternoon. Some of those patients are expected to come to Georgia.
Wellstar Spalding Regional, Coliseum Northside in Macon and Memorial Satilla in Waycross are already receiving evacuees. Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin and Memorial Health in Savannah are as well.
In metro Atlanta, hospitals like Grady, Gwinnett Medical, Emory and Piedmont tell us they have not been contacted to receive any patients yet, but they will be ready to assist if needed.
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Below is the full statement from Piedmont:
“We are ready to respond and support as needed. We are in frequent contact with state and federal emergency planning officials. As of yet, we have not had any discussions with authorities about receiving patients or sending medical personnel. With Florence yet to make landfall, we realize that this could be a rapidly changing situation and that circumstances could change any minute.”
DaVita Kidney Care it has also activated its emergency response plan in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Residents of Somerby Senior Living in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina evacuated to the Wingate Hotel in metro Atlanta.
"This is something we practice for we do not just hurricane drills but tornado, fire," said Sheryl Klien, Vice President of Operations for Somerby. "We go through a process every year of preparation and planning and then executing how we're going to do that."
Ninety residents with varying degrees of need and 30 staff members arrived Wednesday evening by bus. The majority of the residents will stay at the Wingate. Others went to the Somerby Peachtree City, and a hotel in Alpharetta.
11Alive stopped by the Wingate while residents were still getting situated. They had been visited by the mayor of South Fulton, who dropped of cases of water.
Residents left equipped with their clothing, pillows, and blankets, but they are in need of activities like board games, cards, or puzzles.
Anyone who is able to donate, those donations can be taken to the Wingate in Fairburn or the Fairburn Police Department
Patients with health issues who may be homebound should prepare an emergency kit with these items:
- numbers for doctors
- at least three days worth of medicines
- a list of medicines and the dosage amount…
- patients with diabetes need a week's worth of supplies.
- at least three days worth of emergency food.
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