Hurricane Milton: Florida hospitals, more than 300 healthcare facilities evacuate

With Hurricane Milton steaming toward Florida’s west coast, some of the state’s hospitals have evacuated, while others are transferring patients and closing clinics ahead of the storm.

Tampa General Hospital has installed its AquaFence to protect against flooding from Hurricane Milton.

As of Wednesday, 16 Florida hospitals have evacuated, according to Florida state officials. A total of 352 healthcare facilities, including 200 assisted living centers and 67 nursing homes, have evacuated ahead of Milton, state health officials say.

Milton appears to be headed for the Tampa Bay region, which experienced heavy flooding from Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago. Helene delivered plenty of damage to Florida, and many healthcare workers lost their homes in that storm, said Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association.

Now, they’re bracing for a storm that could be even worse.

“Everything we're hearing is that this has the potential to be historically catastrophic, but it is also compounded by an area of the state that just suffered significant damage from Helene,” Mayhew said.

While some Florida hospitals are evacuating and moving patients, many hospitals are going to be open, or are at least keeping emergency rooms open through the storm.

“We have hospitals evacuating, but we have other hospitals, of course, that have made the decision that they can keep their patients safe,” Mayhew said. “They are remaining open. There will be a significant need for hospital services because of the impact of the storm. It’s important that those services are available 24/7.”

• Read more: Helping hospital workers who suffered losses from Helene

‘Not just the eye’

The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said Milton could be the most powerful hurricane to hit Tampa Bay in 100 years. Early Wednesday, Milton remained a “Category 4” hurricane, with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, the weather service said.

Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, says flooding from Hurricane Milton poses the main threat to the state's hospitals.

But hospitals beyond the Tampa region could be facing significant flooding.

“It's not just the eye of this storm,” Mayhew said. “The extent of the surge and how far down the coast that will extend.”

Magnifying the challenge, Milton is expected to remain at hurricane strength as it moves across Florida, posing threats to a wide swath of communities. “The East Coast, Daytona Beach, they could still be experiencing a Category 2 hurricane,” Mayhew said.

Most hospitals are staying open, and facilities on the coast have transferred patients to sister hospitals in their system, or other hospitals, Mayhew said.

But Mayhew said problems may arise if flooding from Milton forces other hospitals to move other patients or evacuate, because plenty of Florida hospitals are packed.

“If there are hospitals that find it necessary to partially or fully evacuate, if they don't have other hospitals within their system that can receive or they are an independent hospital, the state will be helping to coordinate where there is capacity elsewhere,” Mayhew said. “Again, a lot of hospitals are already largely full, so this is going to require significant coordination.”

Fears of massive flooding

While forecasters warned of powerful winds capable of producing significant damage, hospitals are most concerned about flooding of their facilities.

“Flooding is the most significant concern and threat to hospitals, both in terms of damage to their buildings, impacting electrical,” Mayhew said. “Then it would be creating challenges for transportation to and from the hospital, for patients, for staff, so that is front and center.”

Tampa General Hospital's AquaFence withstood flooding from Hurricane Helene in late September. The fence is designed to withstand 15 feet of storm surge, and the National Weather Service says the surge from Milton in Tampa could reach 10 to 15 feet.

Tampa General Hospital is remaining open and has installed its “AquaFence,” a barrier designed to protect the main hospital campus from storm surge. The main hospital campus sits on an island in Hillsborough Bay.

Erinn Skiba, assistant director of public safety for Tampa General Hospital, said the organization has detailed plans in place to serve patients in the storm.

“Our fence around the Davis Islands campus is up, supplies are stocked at all hospital locations, and the teams stand ready to provide care through Hurricane Milton,” Skiba said in a statement.

The fence withstood heavy flooding from Helene, and it’s going to be tested again. Tampa General could face a difficult test with Milton, as the National Weather Service said Wednesday that the peak storm surge in Tampa could reach 8 to 12 feet. The AquaFence barrier is designed to prevent surges of up to 15 feet above sea level.

Tampa General built a new energy plant in 2022 to provide more resilience in Florida’s extreme weather. The plant sits 33 feet above sea level.

In addition to the main hospital campus, Tampa General’s hospitals in Brooksville, Spring Hill and Crystal River are staying open. Some freestanding emergency departments, clinics and outpatient facilities will be closed.

Closing facilities, delaying surgeries

HCA Healthcare operates more than 40 hospitals in Florida, and the health system has evacuated some of its facilities.

HCA Florida has evacuated West Tampa Hospital, Bayonet Point Hospital, Pasadena Hospital and Englewood Hospital and transferred patients to other facilities. A few HCA Florida hospitals are open for emergencies only, and HCA has also closed several freestanding emergency rooms.

In addition to dealing with another hurricane in Florida, HCA also operates seven hospitals in flood-ravaged western North Carolina, including Mission Hospital in Asheville. Federal response teams are assisting hospitals in the region in the wake of widespread destruction from Helene.

The BayCare Health System is keeping most of its hospitals open, but Morton Plant North Bay Hospital has been closed, the system said. The system has postponed all non-emergency surgeries Wednesday and Thursday. BayCare operates 16 hospitals in west-central Florida.

BayCare has also closed its medical group and urgent care clinics Wednesday and Thursday, but is making telehealth services for those with the BayCareAnywhere mobile app from Wednesday at 7 a.m. through Friday at 7 p.m.

Some BayCare staffers lost their homes from flooding by Hurricane Helene. BayCare has created a relief fund to support staff in need, and the system is committing $10 million to the fund.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care canceled all elective surgeries Wednesday and Thursday and has closed urgent care centers Wednesday. Many outpatient facilities are closed Wednesday and Thursday.

The Veterans Affairs hospital in Tampa, James A. Haley Hospital, and all VA clinics in Tampa are closed through Thursday. The VA said appointments were being converted to virtual visits or being rescheduled.

The C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center in Bay Pines has closed its campus, including the emergency department. Outpatient appointments are being postponed or done via telehealth.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Florida hospitals were faring well when it came to supplies, Mayhew said. Hospitals were focused on having ample supplies of fuel if power is unavailable for an extended period, she said.

She said she is concerned about gasoline supplies for hospital staff. Patrick De Haan, a gasoline analyst for GasBuddy, said more than one in five Florida gas stations were out of gas as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Mayhew praised the preparation and coordination of state officials working with health systems. More than 500 healthcare leaders participated in a call with state health and emergency officials early Tuesday afternoon. She said 11 shelters have been set up around the state to accommodate individuals who are not in hospitals but require power for their medical equipment.

It’s unclear how many Florida hospital workers lost their homes after Helene, Mayhew said, but the association is working to get that data. She also dreads the prospect of more hospital staff losing homes or suffering serious damage from Hurricane Milton.

“We will obviously now be looking at it comprehensively, between these two hurricanes, the extent to which our healthcare employees have suffered significant damage to their homes,” she said.