Safety

Hailstorm hits, damages Texas hospital

Emergency Management Alert, July 6, 2004

A hailstorm in Amarillo, TX, on June 21 significantly damaged Baptist St. Anthony's Hospital, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA) News.

Softball-sized hailstones hurled into the 410-bed hospital and shattered 50 windows, which contained quarter-inch-thick glass, hospital spokesperson Mary Barlow told AHA.

Staff quickly moved patients into hallways before the storm hit. Only one of 270 patients was injured by the flying glass, Barlow said.

Barlow credits the staff's swift response to the hospital's regular emergency drills.

"The staff said, 'It's amazing. It all just clicked,' and they knew what to do," she said. Some rooms were closed for repair, but the rest of the hospital remains open.

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