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Partly Cloudy Long Beach Medical Center, nursing homes evacuated
City Manager says many residents heeding evacuation notice
Long Beach Medical Center was evacuated on Friday and Saturday, and its emergency room closed, after Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano issued an evacuation notice for tens of thousands of homes on the South Shore because of Hurricane Irene.
“I spoke to [CEO] Doug Meltzer this morning, and the emergency room is closed, the hospital has been vacated,” City Manager Charles Theofan said. “All nursing homes [in the city] have also been vacated.”
LBMC officials indicated on Friday, prior to the mandatory evacuation notice, that they would begin vacating the hospital‘s 230 or so patients to nearby facilities.
“We’re following the orders of the County Executive and City Manager, and we are preparing for an evacuation if they should give us an order,” spokeswoman Cheryl Chapman said.
With residents urged to evacuate no later than 5 p.m. Saturday, Long Beach Buses were transporting residents from three staging locations -- East School, West School and City Hall -- beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and up to at 3 p.m. on Saturday to a shelter at Nassau Community College.
Theofan said that city crews have also removed all heavy equipment to facilities outside the evacuation areas, and that many residents were successfully evacuated to emergency shelters. “Our buses, until 3 p.m., were taking people to the shelters,” Theofan said. “A lot of people also left by train, and now everyone is here to stay.”
Theofan said that while many residents have decided to stay during the hurricane, many have changed their minds and have heeded the evacuation notice.
“I’m in the West End right now, and a substantial number of people have evacuated,” Theofan said just before 4 p.m. “There’s no question that there is going to be a substantial percentage that hasn’t left, but its very gratifying to see that many have. When I look down the street, they are virtually empty.”
Theofan, like many city officials, is staying in Long Beach during the storm, although the mandatory evacuation means that residents who do stay do so at their own risk, and normal emergency services may not be available, including those provided at the medical center.
