Public Employee Press

Surviving Sandy at Coler Hospital
A night of terror and dedication

BY DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Superstorm Sandy wiped out power at Coler Hospital Oct. 29, forcing evacuations and submerging employees' cars as the dedicated workers groped their way through dark, frigid rooms and halls to care for their patients.

Not until April, after months on backup generators, did the Health and Hospital Corp.'s long-term-care facility get electricity from Con Ed.

"We are trained for disasters - it's part of our commitment to the patients, to be here no matter what," said Local 420 Chapter Chair Anita Holder.

That commitment was tested fully as the worst storm in memory hit New York with a terrible vengeance.

"You know a storm is coming, so you prepare," she said. The workers readied extra blankets, bottled water and food that did not need refrigeration, such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"We worked, Jesus did we work," said Holder of the Local 420 members and Sodexo employees in Local 154. HHC ordered all departments to stay until the next shift arrived. Workers were not required to stay over, yet many opted to stay out of dedication to their patients and solidarity with coworkers.

Fortunately, no one was on the elevators when Building C lost power at about 6 p.m. Staff had already moved patients to Building A on the three-building campus, and 104 immobile patients were evacuated to nearby Goldwater Hospital, where an emergency generator kicked in.

Keeping Coler afloat

As Coler Food Service staff ferried hot food from Goldwater to their patients, from a window Holder could see the rising East River waters surrounding the Roosevelt Island facilities. She wondered if the river would breach the walls, and it did, with black water and howling winds bowing trees to the ground beneath dark gray skies. Workers moved their cars to higher ground, but she saw the flood reach license plates, then roofs, and soon vehicles were floating like bath toys.

"We kept patients away from the windows," Holder said, understanding that what lay beyond could set off hysteria.

"We reassured patients, kept them calm. Then we had to reassure each other," Holder told PEP. She took a breath, as if to calm herself, and added, "We made it through that night by the grace of God."

The workers were using flashlights and cell phones for light. By 9 p.m. Sandy's fury plunged all three buildings into total darkness, and the floodwaters rushed into Coler's basement and quickly rose to the first floor.

"We ran food up to patients, but then we decided to work smarter and formed a human chain to feed patients," Holder explained. "We were a team keeping Coler afloat, but we were in bad shape," she acknowledged. Holder and others stayed at work for up to four days straight, even as Sandy battered their families and communities.

Dietary Aide Abdusa Ali stayed, taking food and water to patients. "With no lights, no heat, we worked under harsh, harsh conditions," he said.

It took Food Service Aide Patricia Woodard three hours to reach Coler from her home in Rockaway Beach. "There were maybe 150 people trying to board one bus." she said.

At work, "we bundled like Eskimos. We kept the patients warm and the food dry. Our chief concern was no casualties. I tried to remain calm. We did the best we could, and when we couldn't do any more, others filled in," she said.

At home, her high-rise building flooded to the second floor and her apartment was cold and dark, with no water or gas.

Outside, "there was mud and sand and furniture in the streets. Fires destroyed homes and businesses, and groups raided the Key Food and robbed ATMs," said Woodard. For safety, she moved in with a group of neighbors and left her 12-year-old and a 9-year-old grandchild with a relative who lives on the 10th floor of her building.

The Rockaways were without power and services for over two months, but even with her neighborhood destroyed and food and water supplies dwindling, Woodard never missed a day of work.

"I thought about the patients and the job I had to do, so I came to work," Woodard said. "I am thankful I am alive. Others lost everything."