If you have already watched the latest disaster medical drama series, Five Days At Memorial, you will be amazed to know that it is based on a true story. Before getting into what things happened in real, let’s have a brief discussion about the plot of the series.
Five Days At Memorial made its debut on 12 August 2022 on Apple TV+ and concluded with Episode 8. Directed by the duo John Ridley and Carlton Cuse, it is based on the non-fiction book, Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, penned by Sheri Fink. It was published in 2013.
Ever heard about Hurricane Katrina? It caused death to more than 1800 people and damage worth $125 billion in New Orleans. Five Days At Memorial focuses on the difficulties faced by the people in the Ochsner Baptist Medical Center, New Orleans. The aftermath of the disaster wasn’t good and was badly destructive. It resulted in the rise in floodwaters, power failure, and heat soars as well.
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Five Days At Memorial Was Inspired From A Real Story
As Hurricane Katrina occurred, the hospital was flooded with 10ft of water, and that too in a very short time. The patients already admitted to the hospital got marooned, and it was more than 2000 in number. Yes, that included nearly 600 staff members and more than 200 patients. They were rescued by the airboats that arrived at the helipad area on the roof. Inside the hospital, the temperature turned up to 100 degrees.
In addition to this, the generators also stopped working, causing huge problems. After some point, the lifts of the hospital also started running out of power. Those were used for the patients to get to the helipad.
The patients who were in ventilators and extra care units were reported to be helplessly treated with Ambu bags. In case you aren’t aware, these are used to squeeze air into the lungs. But, most of those patients failed to survive with that because of a lack of oxygen.
When these types of disasters occur, evacuating the place should be the top priority. Knowing this, some people wondered why they didn’t empty the hospital. As mentioned already, some patients got onto the helipads, while some were on airboats and trucks. But, some of the patients were too sick to make such a drastic move from one place to another in that short time. Those were especially the ones in the LifeCare unit and I.C.U. That’s why the hospital faculties couldn’t leave them and evacuate in any way. There was also insufficient machinery transportation facility to move them.
When investigated, 45 dead bodies were found at the hospital. Among them, 11 patients were reported to have died before Hurricane Katrina hit. In such a situation, Dr. Anna Pou of the New Orleans hospital played a major role. In Five Days At Memorial, her character is portrayed by the Conjuring actress Vera Farmiga. She decided to sedate some patients with morphine whose conditions were ill. She later reassured those asking that she intended to make them feel comfortable in that terrible situation and not kill them.
Dr. Anna Pou was also arrested on the charge of murder. Why? Because sedating the patients with a mixture of versed and morphine was more like a murdering act as it became like a lethal cocktail. Two other accompanies, moreover nurses Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, were imprisoned. Her act was referred to as nothing but a homicide. On the other hand, Dr. Pou’s most of patients had positive thoughts about her, which was a good thing for her.
Five Days At Memorial is indeed a heartbreaking tale. It’s highly recommended to the ones who haven’t watched it yet.
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