One year later: HCA Florida Lake City Hospital reflects on Hurricane Helene

Lake City, FL — A year ago this week since Hurricane Helene tore through Florida’s Big Bend, causing loss of life and catastrophic damage, HCA Florida Lake City Hospital is reinforcing its commitment to emergency preparedness and rapid response should this community experience a hurricane this season.

HCA Florida Lake City Hospital is part of HCA Healthcare, the largest healthcare system in the country, with resources including a national Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC). This multi-disciplinary team is ready year-round to support hospitals and communities in crisis. The EEOC annually trains more than 100 Incident Support Team members from across the U.S., including colleagues from Florida who have weathered a number of storms.

“Our location in Florida means many of our colleagues throughout the hospital have firsthand experience in hurricane response, whether its protecting patients and providing care or helping our community recover,” said Jill Adams, CEO, HCA Florida Lake City Hospital. “The training and resources we receive from our national colleagues provides the critical assurance that we will have everything we need to maintain or resume operations and support our sister hospitals as needed.”

In 2024, Florida endured one of its most active hurricane seasons in two decades, with three hurricanes making landfall on the Gulf Coast:

• Hurricane Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee on August 5 as a Category 1 storm, bringing sustained winds of 80 mph and widespread coastal flooding.
• Hurricane Helene struck near Perry on September 26 as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage and becoming the deadliest storm of the season.
• Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa on October 9 as a Category 3 hurricane, prompting mass evacuations and unleashing historic storm surges and tornado outbreaks across Central Florida.

For communities served by HCA Florida Lake City Hospital, hurricanes Debby and Helene were the second and third devastating storms to hit over 13 months, following Hurricane Nicole in November 2022.

Lindsey Bricker, a nurse at HCA Florida Suwannee Emergency, recalls the great need for resources like water and fuel in Helene’s aftermath. The response was immediate.

“From the things that HCA Healthcare provided us, we were able to continue providing care to our community,” Bricker said. “We were able to keep our doors open. Just to know that even when the world feels upside down, we’re going to make it through because we have what we need to stay together as a team.”

While this September has been unusually quiet for what is historically the most active month of the Atlantic hurricane season, HCA Florida Healthcare urges residents to prepare for the unexpected. HCA Healthcare is honored to partner with and support the American Red Cross, which offers the following preparedness tips:

1. Make a Kit: Include water (1 gallon per person/day), non-perishable food, flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, medications, infant/pet supplies including pet carriers and vet records, hygiene items, important documents such as birth certificates and proof of homeowners and/or car insurance, phone chargers, blankets, maps, and emergency contacts.
2. Make a Plan: Know how to reunite with family, evacuate safely if needed, and coordinate with schools, workplaces, and local emergency plans.
3. Be Informed: Learn how local officials in your area will communicate during a disaster and where to find evacuation and safety updates. Connect with your local county emergency management office for information and resources.

Get additional hurricane preparedness and other information.