Hurricane Beryl tore through Texas on July 8, 2024, causing widespread damage and leaving millions of people without power. This is the first article in a 4-part series highlighting the relentless efforts of St. Luke’s Health staff to ensure continuity of care across our hospitals.

It was 4 a.m. on Monday, July 8, and Hurricane Beryl had been bearing down on Brazosport for the last several hours. A handful of staff at St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital were tucked away safely inside, watching Beryl’s high winds take a toll on the swaying trees outside.   Suddenly, they saw a huge piece of something – they didn’t know what - come crashing down in the distance.

“What was that?! It exploded!” staff exclaimed. Others screamed as the wreckage came to rest  30 yards away. High winds had ripped off part of the roof of the hospital used for mechanical services. The heavy metal created an enormous splash in the rainwater making it difficult to discern what it was until rain started pouring down one of the elevator shafts. 

“You could feel the rain and wind blowing down the shaft,” recalled Robert Trautman, president of St. Luke’s–Brazosport. Although Trautman had been at the hospital for three years, it was his first hurricane. “Local people who have been here 30-40 years say Beryl was the worst hurricane they've ever seen. Especially for a Category 1.”

The 40 staff on site worked together to manage the situation. Some remained with patients while others helped move 8 patients from water-damaged floors.

“The camaraderie and teamwork were amazing. Everybody pitched in and not necessarily in their regular job function,” Trautman said. “It instilled confidence in our patients and we managed the event so well we were never hindered from admitting patients.”

It took six hours for the storm to pass. Some determined staff navigated around downed trees and power lines to come in early for their shifts.

“We had some employees who hooked their trucks up with a chain and pulled big trees out of their driveways so they could come to work,” Trautman said.

The hours after the storm proved to be equally as challenging. “We broke a record for emergency room visits; 136 the day of the hurricane. Not only was the volume high, but our ambulance runs broke a record,” Trautman said, attributing higher volumes to carbon monoxide poisoning from household generators and heat exhaustion from record-high temperatures. The hospital relied on generator power throughout the event but the surrounding community was without power for days. Almost two weeks after the storm, some staff remain without power.

As soon as the storm moved out, crews were out picking up the debris outdoors and repairing interior damage. A temporary roof was installed and the elevators were operational the very next day. Two days after the storm, there were no traces of what had occurred.

 “We had many people, such as our clinical staff, facilities, and emergency department and others who slept here and didn't leave the site for several days,” Trautman said.  “Everybody pulled together. It was just amazing.”