Hospitals have treated hundreds of patients, including dozens of children, since a tornado hit the Oklahoma City area Monday afternoon, NPR Shots reported.
While the storm headed right for Moore Medical Center, wiping out the Norman Regional Health System facility, no patients or staff suffered injuries, according to a hospital update last night.
When the tornado stuck, the 45-bed hospital had only 30 patients, who were given shelter in a windowless safe space on the first floor, along with roughly 300 residents who chose to weather the storm at Moore Medical Center instead of their less secure homes.
Norman Regional said it has treated more than 130 patients for storm-related injuries, with at least nine patients transferred from Moore Medical Center to Norman Regional Hospital and HealthPlex.
Moore's staff are continuing to provide care at other Norman Regional Health System facilities, as well as preparing for the risk of more storms and patients, according to NPR Shots.
"Norman Regional Health System will continue to work around the clock to help any and all affected by the storms and the immediate aftermath," the system said in the update.
Today marks the second anniversary of another catastrophic tornado in American history--the 2011 EF-5 tornado that wiped out Joplin, Mo., and struck St. John's Regional Medical Center.
The 320-bed facility took a "direct hit" and had its walls sheared off and windows blown out. With a 20-minute warning of the impending tornado, St. John's workers followed the facility's emergency plan of moving patients into corridors, FierceHealthFinance previously reported.
For more:
- check out Moore's update
- here's the ABC News article
- read the NPR Shots blog post