Some Arkansans have storm shelters in their homes. Arkansas Children’s Hospital does, too.
“It was probably about two years ago we had a tornado warning pop up within 30 miles of the facility, tracking right towards the hospital. So, we actually had to go to our level three procedures and we actually moved patients to the shelter areas,” said Daren Bolen, Emergency Manager at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
ACH has 275 severe weather shelter areas in the main hospital. There are three levels of procedures the hospital follows. The first level, the storm has to be within 100 miles and the staff decides who should move and where to put them. At level two, the storm is in the path of hospital and shelters get prepared for patients. At level three, the storm is within 30 miles and patients are moved to the shelters.
“Sometimes that tornado warning will pop up inside that 30-mile ring, we don't have the luxury of going through the level one level two, we'll go straight to level three,” Bolen said.
The shelters are located where there are several walls between it and the outside and there are no windows. Some are bigger than others, but they can hold about 10 patients and their families. Whether or not a patient can be moved to the shelters depends on the child’s condition.
“There are some patients that if we move, it could cause more harm than if we don't,” Bolen said.
The patients’ rooms are filled with extra blankets and pillows. The beds are moved away from windows. If the hospital is able to put something against the windows, they will do that too.
“We also have to consider how we're going to take care of the patients from the community. Safety is our number one priority for our patients and families,” Bolen said.
Arkansas Children's Hospital also has shatter protection windows meaning their windows will not break into tiny pieces. They are also in the process of having their own meteorologist to work closely with them during severe weather.