REPORT FROM:

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

"Thankfully, Hurricane Rita caused minimal damage in the Houston metropolitan area," reports Dr. Richard Champlin, medical director of the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant.  "The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center had no damage and is resuming full operations over the next few days."

The medical center was not in the evacuation zone and did not have to evacuate any patients.  Patients in precarious condition were kept in the hospital rather than discharged before the storm, with the belief that they were better off under hospital care than fending for themselves in the community during a hurricane.

“We had about 50 BMT patients in the hospital and made provisions for our outpatients," Dr. Champlin said.  "We had a ride-out team that stayed in the hospital until the storm passed." 

The transplant unit had two patients who were evacuated from hospitals in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

“Flooding is generally more of a concern in Houston than wind damage, since Houston is about 50 miles inland from the coast,” Dr. Champlin said.  The medical complex had severe flooding in 2001 when Tropical Storm Allison stalled over the city.

Updated 9/25/05