Thousands of South Louisiana residents who fled Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of New Orleans sought safety in Shreveport and Monroe. A month later as Hurricane Rita approached Southwest Louisiana, there was evacuation created a surge northward. Hundreds of those displaced relied on the LSU Hospital in Shreveport and E. A. Conway Medical Center in Monroe for medical attention in the weeks that followed. By September 19, LSU Hospital in Shreveport had recorded 250 patient encounters with evacuees who fled Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath; no numbers are available related to Hurricane Rita. By the end of 2005, E. A. Conway Medical Center had recorded 842 patient encounters with individuals who were Hurricane Katrina evacuees and 150 patient encounters with those who had fled Hurricane Rita.
In their own words, LSU Hospitals staff describe events in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
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