Hospitals prepare for natural disasters differently than most, because closing is never an option. When severe weather, flooding, power outages or another crisis affects a community, patients still need care, emergency departments remain open and healthcare teams must be ready to support people who may have nowhere else to turn.
In this episode of Straight from the Source, leaders from FMOL Health | St. Francis and FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake share what emergency preparedness looks like before, during and after a major weather event.
St. Francis faced one such event in January 2026 when a historic ice storm brought Monroe to a standstill. St. Francis President Thomas Gullatt, MD; Chief Nursing Officer Kayla Johnson, RN, MSN; and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Sale reflect on the days that followed, when the hospital continued caring for patients through power outages, impassable roads and nearly three days without city water.
Shamekia Hill, facilities director at Our Lady of the Lake, offers another perspective, explaining how her team prepares year-round for hurricane season and protects the infrastructure that allows patient care to continue no matter the forecast.
Together, their stories reveal that emergency preparedness is about much more than generators and supply rooms. It is about planning ahead, trusting one another and making sure hospitals are ready to serve when communities need them most.
Preparing St. Francis Before the First Ice Fell
Long before the first sheet of ice covered Monroe’s roads, leaders at St. Francis were already preparing for what could become one of the region’s most challenging weather events in years.
Hospitals do not have the luxury of waiting to see what happens. Every forecast becomes a series of questions. How many patients can safely go home before conditions worsen? Which team members will stay inside the hospital? What supplies could become difficult to replace if roads close? What unexpected challenge has not happened yet?
For Dr. Gullatt, that preparation begins long before a weather forecast appears.
“We have policies, procedures, protocols in place to deal with emergencies, whether it’s a weather event, whether it’s a pandemic, whether it’s something acute in the community that’s occurred,” he says. “We function as a team with everyone taking on responsibility and accountability.”
About a week before the storm, leaders from across the hospital began meeting daily. They reviewed weather projections, coordinated with emergency partners, stocked food and water, identified sleeping space for employees and prepared for the possibility that many team members would be unable to leave once the storm arrived.
Kevin says those early conversations helped the hospital move quickly once the forecast became more certain.
“We came together several days prior to the start of the storm,” he says, “and just getting the team members together was really what helped us coordinate efficiently.”
The hospital also worked closely with Acadian Ambulance Service and the Louisiana Emergency Response Network to prepare for the patients who would continue arriving despite worsening travel conditions.
As the storm drew closer, St. Francis activated Code Gray, its severe weather response. Patients who could safely continue recovering at home were discharged early, creating capacity for those who might need care once roads became impassable and nursing homes or rural communities were cut off.
“We were well stocked on water, well stocked on food, but the event was more severe even than it had been predicted,” Dr. Gullatt says.
When Monroe Stopped, St. Francis Kept Going
When the ice finally arrived, much of northeast Louisiana came to a standstill. Roads became impassable. Power outages spread across the region. For many families, simply leaving home was no longer possible.
Inside St. Francis, patient care never stopped.
Team members who reported before the storm remained inside the hospital for days. Between shifts, they slept on cots and air mattresses while leaders worked behind the scenes to provide meals, fresh linens and places to rest before returning to their patients.
Kayla spent more than 90 hours at the hospital coordinating staffing and support. She says the clinical teams never lost sight of their purpose.
“Nursing is a team sport,” she says. “Everybody pulls together all the time, and that’s what you continue to do even more so when you’ve got something like that going on.”
Kevin says one of the most memorable parts of the response was watching people step forward to lead, regardless of their title.
“It really made me feel good at seeing people step up and take leadership roles, even if they weren’t a leader, to make sure that we were all taken care of and our patients were taken care of.”
Then came a challenge no one had fully anticipated. The hospital had prepared for reduced water pressure. Instead, it lost its city water supply for nearly three days.
Additional water trucks were brought in, facilities crews monitored critical building systems and leaders worked continuously to make sure patient care continued without interruption.
At the same time, facilities teams kept boilers and other infrastructure operating while clinical leaders monitored food, water and oxygen supplies. Patients who depended on oxygen remained at the hospital until it was safe for them to return home, even if they were otherwise ready for discharge.
Many team members were caring for patients while worrying about their own homes and families. Some went a week without electricity. Others could not safely check on loved ones because roads remained frozen.
Dr. Gullatt says their commitment reflected something much deeper than emergency planning.
“I just can’t say enough about the sacrifices that they make to be up here, taking care of the patients, serving the mission, while still being anxious and worried about what’s happening in their own home.”
Preparing Long Before Hurricane Season
In Louisiana and Mississippi, hurricanes are the first thing that come to mind when residents think about major weather events. For most people, hurricane preparation begins in June or when a storm appears in the Gulf.
For Shamekia and the facilities team at Our Lady of the Lake, it begins in January.
While much of Louisiana is still thinking about winter, Shamekia’s team is already inspecting generators, reviewing inventories, servicing equipment and identifying anything that could become a problem months later. By the time the first tropical system develops, much of the preparation has already been completed.
Shamekia describes emergency preparedness as a year-round process rather than a seasonal one. Hurricanes may be the most visible threat, but the same planning helps the hospital respond to severe thunderstorms, flooding, power outages and other unexpected events throughout the year.
“If you’re ready for a hurricane, you’re ready for anything,” she says.
As a storm approaches, that preparation shifts into high gear. Facilities crews inspect rooftops and drains, secure exterior equipment, place sandbags around vulnerable areas and trim tree limbs that could become hazards. Air mattresses are distributed throughout the campus, privacy paper goes up on windows where physicians and nurses will sleep, and outside vendors arrive before the weather so repairs can begin immediately if needed.
Behind the scenes, hundreds of details come together so patients rarely notice anything has changed.
The hospital’s five natural gas generators are maintained year-round so the campus can continue operating if commercial power is lost. Backup water connections are also in place so tanker trucks can supply the hospital if city water becomes unavailable. Patient rooms are inspected before every major storm to make sure they are ready if additional patients need to be admitted.
“We prepare year-round actually for hurricane season,” Shamekia says. “We try to stay prepared year-round, and then for hurricane, we just bulk up.”
Stronger Because We Respond as a Health System
Emergency preparedness extends far beyond a single market. When one FMOL Health ministry faces a crisis, teams across the health system share resources, expertise and experience to help one another respond.
In the days after the water outage in Monroe, St. Francis leaders reached out to colleagues at St. Tammany Health System, whose previous experience with water disruptions helped shape improvements that have since strengthened St. Francis’ emergency response plans.
Before hurricane season, leaders across FMOL Health regularly communicate about preparedness efforts, making sure each market understands potential risks and is ready to assist another if conditions change.
“We’re not on an island,” Shamekia says. “Before the storm, we always talk to Monroe, we talk to Lafayette, just to make sure that everybody’s on the same page and can assist if needed.”
That support extends beyond the health system itself. During previous hurricanes, Our Lady of the Lake has accepted patients from hospitals that could no longer operate safely and has shared supplies and resources whenever neighboring communities needed help.
For Shamekia, that willingness to serve reflects the true purpose behind emergency preparedness.
“It’s not about a title or a name when it comes to hurricane preparedness,” she says. “It is about what can we do to help the community and fulfill the mission and the calling that we have been called to do.”
