Breaking News: Bellevue Hospital Evacuating

NewsBreakerOct 31 '12

Host @DavidBegnaud delivers breaking news and today's trending buzz in 45 seconds. NYTimes.com: Bellevue Hospital Is Being Evacuated Bellevue Hospital Center, New York City’s flagship public hospital, is evacuating about 500 patients, hospital officials said moments ago. Bellevue, which is in Manhattan near the East River but not in the worst of the flood zone, has been operating on backup generators. Its lobby has been dark, with other lights working intermittently, doctors said. The health department has authorized “surge capacity plans,” hospital officials said. Appeals for other hospitals to take Bellevue patients have been marked “URGENT” and “ASAP.” Officials at other hospitals said that they were being asked to accept patients above their normal capacity, under rules put in place for catastrophic events. On Tuesday, signs of stress were evident as people could be seen carrying babies down the staircase. One doctor questioned why the hospital was not fully evacuating, and thought it might be that because the nearby NYU Langone Medical Center had been forced to evacuate 300 patients, after discharging 100, there was not enough room at other hospitals. The hospital smelled bad, perhaps from fuel. Emergency lights were on. Ambulances were being diverted from the emergency room, which is one of the city’s major trauma centers.