Hurricane Irma : 5 million euros of damage in hospitals

ENA-POOL/SIPA

Published the 05.10.2017 at 14h58

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On 6 September, hurricane Irma has blown a part of the buildings of the islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, with winds in excess of 350 km/h. Saint-Martin, 60 % of the homes would be destroyed, and up to 95 % of them would be damaged.

It is also the case of hospitals, medical centres and facilities for dependent elderly people (Ehpad). In a report submitted to the ministry of Health, and reviewed by TecHopital.com the experts sent to the site after the hurricane had estimated the cost of the repairs. For the institutions of the two islands, it is expected to be around 5.1 million euros.

The hospital of Saint-Martin hit

Among the buildings to be taken care of quickly figure the centre hospitalier Louis Constant Fleming of Saint-Martin, the principal of the two islands. “The roof flew away. We believe that it has been destroyed to the tune of 70 % “, said the minister of Health on LCI, two days after the disaster.

Three days later, the hospital was operational again, but in delicate conditions, can only accommodate 17 people, while it has a capacity of 80 beds in its normal operation. “The block works, the stocks of drugs have been bailed out and we are going to increase this capability with aid posts, a mobile which will operate as a clinic “, said Agnès Buzyn, a guest of RTL on September 11.

The experts dispatched on the spot by the Fédération hospitalière de France (FHF) to estimate the damage will want to be reassuring. “The hospitals were not in such a bad state. But there are also all the damage that cannot be seen, ” said TecHopital.com André Bougaud, a biomedical engineer in charge of assessing the damage. In addition to the damage on the roof and on the structure of the building – which the defects are highlighted just before the hurricane are partially responsible, the treatment system of the air and the electric grid have been damaged by the wind and salt spray.

Only the ground floor has been preserved, thanks to a slab making office for the protection of high pressure. For this hospital alone, the costs have been estimated to 2.85 million euros.