Lessons Hospitals Learned After Hurricane Helene and Why AccuWeather the Best Weather Partner
Even the most capable healthcare teams can only respond to what they know. AccuWeather helps them better prepare to best protect patients and staff.
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Hurricane Helene damaged Baxter's North Cove site in North Carolina in September, disrupting the largest source of IV fluids in the US. (Photo credit: Julia Wall for The Washington Post/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
When Hurricane Helene struck the Southeast in September 2024, the impacts went far beyond wind and rain. In the aftermath, the healthcare facilities experienced widespread flooding, power outages, and critical supply chain disruptions, including one of the most significant threats to U.S. patient care in recent memory.
A North Carolina facility—responsible for more than 60% of the nation's IV fluid production—was overwhelmed by flooding. Hospitals nationwide faced rationing of IV solutions, and federal agencies were forced to coordinate emergency manufacturing support. Several months later, hospitals are still facing an IV fluid shortage.
What if healthcare leaders had seen it coming earlier? What if the supply chain had been able to mobilize sooner?
>> CLICK HERE to contact AccuWeather today to learn how your hospital can better prepare for hurricanes and all severe weather hazards.
These are the questions that AccuWeather For Business helps answer—before the next major storm hits.
Hurricane Helene Was a Wake-Up Call for Hospitals
An aerial view of damaged houses are seen after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024. At least 44 people died across five US states battered by powerful storm Helene, authorities said on September 27, after torrential flooding prompted emergency responders to launch massive rescue operations. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
AccuWeather's forecasts were provided further in advance and most accurately described the catastrophic flooding risk associated with Helene, including:
• AccuWeather was the only known source to warn that Helene "could cause a flooding disaster in some areas of the Southeast, especially in the higher terrain of northern Georgia, upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina."
• This language, first used by AccuWeather on Tuesday, over 48 hours in advance of major impacts, was not used by any known source to predict the magnitude of what AccuWeather exclusively called a "once-in-a-generation" storm.
During Hurricane Helene, AccuWeather provided more advance notice on the first forecast track and intensity, issuing its forecast 19 hours before NHC and all other known sources. In fact, according to a new report by Kantar, AccuWeather forecasts for landfall location and wind intensity were 21.9% and 52.4% more accurate than NHC and all other known sources, respectively.
>> READ MORE: AccuWeather Outperforms National Hurricane Center and All Other Known Sources in 2024 Hurricane Season With Most Accurate Forecasts, Most Advance Notice
Hurricane Helene impacted healthcare facilities in the following ways:
• Power outages left patients vulnerable across the Carolinas
• Medical volunteers had to be deployed to shelters for patients with special needs
• Flooded roads delayed EMS transort and medical deliveries
• Thousands in need of medical help were unreachable for days
Even the most capable healthcare teams can only respond to what they know. AccuWeather helps them better prepare to best protect patients and staff.
Choosing AccuWeather As a Partner Makes the Difference
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
During hurricanes and other severe weather events, hospitals not using AccuWeather’s Hurricane Warning ServiceTM do have all the information to make the best decisions. By choosing AccuWeather as your weather partner, your hospital will:
• Strengthen trust and reputation with a consistent, proactive emergency response.
• Act sooner, to better protect your patients and staff with more accurate warnings. AccuWeather is 68.7% more accurate than a leading competitor.
• Reduce your risk and liability by making the best weather-impacted decisions.
• Avoid unnecessary shutdowns and resource reallocations to reduce operational costs. AccuWeather's false alarm rate is 77% less than that of all other known sources.
• Get more advance notice than any other known source—often hours ahead of government warnings.
Join the dozens of hospitals that trust and depend on AccuWeather, including such prestigious institutions as the Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Ask yourself: If your facility is not using AccuWeather, are you really prepared?
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