Voices of Angels: Disaster Lessons from Katrina Nurses

New Orleans nurses speak out about the storm.

When thousands fled in the face of Hurricane Katrina, nurses stayed at their posts in New Orleans hospitals to care for their patients. Facing unimaginable conditions, these professionals went without supplies, sleep, communications, and air conditioning as they overcame obstacles to save lives. The nurses interviewed come from healthcare organizations including Charity Hospital, Tulane Medical Center, Ochsner Medical Center, and the Emergency Operations Center in Baton Rouge. They paint a stark picture of systemic failures with catastrophic effects. The authors, experts in nursing and disaster response, offer analysis and recommendations for healthcare institutions nationwide.

An experienced psychiatric nurse with extensive and varied training as a writer, John R. Batty turned his keen investigative eye to the circumstances inside hospitals and care facilities during Hurricane Katrina. As part of his master’s practicum in 2006, Batty interviewed the nursing staff at Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans about their experiences during and after the storm. Combining the staff’s heroic stories with his own research, Batty was able to evaluate and share his knowledge of the evacuation of patients and the administration of medical care during disasters. He and his colleague Gail Tumulty presented their findings at the 2007 International American Nurses Association Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Batty was born in New Orleans and lived in Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi before returning to the New Orleans area. He received a master’s of science in nursing and healthcare system management from Loyola University New Orleans. Out of six thousand applicants, he was one of fifty-four nurses selected for the Greater New Orleans Health Service Corps Grant due to his service during Hurricane Katrina.