Five Days at Memorial (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

1
We begin tonight with Hurricane
Katrina which could be among
the biggest storms ever
to hit this country.
[REPORTER 1] A major hurricane
barreling toward the Gulf Coast.
[REPORTER 2] We are watching a
Category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Katrina.
[REPORTER 3] Hurricane Katrina
is now a Category 5 hurricane.
[REPORTER 4] Right now, we are
emphasizing leaving the city.
[REPORTER 5] Hurricane Katrina has
upgraded itself to a
Category 5 hurricane.
We cannot stress enough the
danger this hurricane poses
to Gulf Coast communities.
[REPORTER 6] And this
is just the beginning.
[REPORTER 7] The city of New Orleans…
[REPORTER 6] …this time
tomorrow those people who have fled
may have no homes to return to.
[REPORTER 8] …much of
New Orleans underwater.
[REPORTER 9] Hurricane Katrina
[REPORTER 10] Hurricane Katrina
[REPORTER 11] This is the
storm some have long feared.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[ENGINE WHIRRING]
[DOG BARKING]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]
[TEAM MEMBER 1] Holy shit.
Jim, we're in the chapel.
[TEAM MEMBER 2] Sarah, you gotta come
see this now. Second-floor walkway.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[INTERVIEWER 1] So, Dr. Baltz,
after Hurricane Katrina,
there were 45 dead bodies found
at Memorial Medical Center.
Forty-five.
Yes.
There were five days after the
storm. The most ungodly conditions.
[INTERVIEWER 1] But 45
people died at your hospital.
You're making it sound
intentional. You're mak
[INTERVIEWER 2] Was
it intentional, Doctor?
Please. Please. You have to
understand the circumstances.
[INTERVIEWER 2] Why don't you go
back to the beginning for us, Doctor?
[INTERVIEWER 1] If I understand, Doctor,
there were two
hospitals in that building?
Yes, uh, correct. Uh, two hospitals.
There was Memorial Hospital,
where I worked, and LifeCare,
which was a long-term care
facility on the seventh floor.
It had its own staff and patients.
But just ahead of the storm,
we took in an extra 1,200 people.
Look, we have always sheltered people
at our hospital during hurricanes.
That was not unusual.
[INTERVIEWER 1] So, if
none of this was unusual…
how did all those patients
die over five days?
[SIGHS]
[INTERVIEWER 1] Doctor,
how did those 45 people die?
[SIGHS]
[SINGER] Wade in the water ♪
Wade in the water, children ♪
[SINGER, CHORUS] Wade in the water ♪
Wade in the water, children ♪
Wade in the water ♪
God is gonna trouble these waters ♪
[CHORUS] Man went down to the river ♪
Man went down to the river, Lord ♪
Man went down to the river ♪
Went down there for to pray ♪
[SINGER] Oh ♪
[SINGER, CHORUS] Wade in the water ♪
Wade in the water, children ♪
Wade in the water ♪
God is gonna trouble these waters ♪
[VOCALIZING]
[SINGER] God's gonna
trouble these waters ♪
[MUSIC ENDS]
[REPORTER] National Guard They
are now saying that Hurricane Katrina
has upgraded itself to
a Category 5 hurricane.
[DR. BALTZ] Just let the
folks know what they have to do
and point them in the right direction.
- I'm sure they will cooperate.
- We have rules for a reason.
Rules for a reason.
[DR. BALTZ] Ewing, this is not the first
time this hospital has sheltered people.
You know that.
This is an emergency room.
This isn't a petting zoo.
[DR. BALTZ] Oh, come on. These
people are members of our community.
- This is what we do.
- Good.
- Yeah.
- [EWING] We can take care of them,
and we can appropriately take
care of pets in the basement…
- Well
- …which is what the rules state.
The Gulf, where actually
it's very warm now.
Between 85 and 90 degrees in some areas.
[DR. BALTZ] Okay? We
have to take care of them.
We have to take care of these
people. That's what our mission is.
[EWING] These animals, they haven't
Look, staff meeting in a-a half an hour.
Anna.
Anna.
Horace, is anybody in
charge of all these people?
Oh, everybody's fine on their own.
I've done this a dozen times.
Sheltering here is like being
snowed in at the airport.
Uh, you know, you don't have to
be here. We got plenty of staff.
No, I've got some post-surgery
patients to look after.
Vince can take care of
the house. I wanna be here.
- I'd rather be here than not.
- Understood.
Oh, uh, Susan said there's a senior
staff meeting in half an hour, okay?
- Okay. Thank you.
- Okay.
[HOSPITAL STAFF CHATTERING]
- ["THIS LOVE" PLAYING]
- [NURSES LAUGHING]
[ANNA] Good morning, everybody.
Morning.
Not staying in your office
like the rest of the doctors?
In it together, right?
It's like camping.
We could use a campfire. I hate
it when they crank up the AC.
What's that?
Mmm. Can opener.
That's all you brought? Some
crackers, tuna fish and a can opener.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Worst comes to worst, I figure
we'll be here three days at the most.
First hurricane at the
hospital? [CHUCKLES]
Yes, it is.
[ALL CHUCKLING]
Why? Is there a problem?
No, it's just
It's good you're optimistic. That's all.
Well, how about we just hope we
don't have to find out the hard way
whether it's too much or too little.
Yeah.
Sure.
[CLEARS THROAT]
[CLEARS THROAT]
I'm gonna make some rounds.
I'll see you out there.
- [NURSE 1] Mmm.
- [NURSE 2] Mm-hmm.
[WORKER] Yeah. That's good. Let's go.
Everybody, keep pushing
in. Keep moving in.
- [STAFF MEMBER 1] Yes, ma'am.
- Got it. Yep.
[SUSAN] Come on, everybody. In.
We could use the body heat, huh?
[STAFF CHUCKLING]
[SUSAN SIGHS] Everybody hear me?
[STAFF MEMBER 2] Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Okay. So, first off, for those of y'all
who don't know me, I'm Susan Mulderick,
and I'm the incident
commander for this storm.
I know that that you all
are dealing with a lot already,
and you're worried about your families,
and you're worried
about your loved ones.
I know that we all are.
But regardless of what is
going on outside or inside,
this is still a functioning hospital.
And until this passes, we're gonna
be operating with special protocols.
- Where are my unit liaisons?
- [LIAISON 1] Right here.
[SUSAN] Y'all have walkie-talkies?
- Ever Everybody?
- Yes, ma'am.
- [LIAISON 2] Yes.
- [SUSAN] Okay.
To be clear for y'all, these liaisons
are in charge of the patient units,
and in case of an emergency in that
unit, you take orders from them.
Any hospital-wide directives
have to come from René or me.
- Or me.
- Or Richard.
Sorry. Sorry.
Richard Richard is filling
in for Ruben, who is on vacation.
- Boo!
- [SUSAN] Oh, listen.
You ought to be ashamed talking about
your own staff president like that.
[LAUGHS]
Who's on vacation.
Anything from y'all?
People are asking about
the air-conditioning.
Tell them that we turn the
temperature way down for a reason.
If the city power goes out,
our backup generators
don't operate the AC,
and it's gonna get hot as a
skillet in here real quick.
So, as long as it is cold,
they know everything's okay.
Anything else?
Yeah. Uh, Susan, have we, uh,
talked to someone from LifeCare?
I mean, I know they're their own
hospital, but we are
in the same building.
Well, they should have their own
emergency plan, and and they're
you know, they're top
dollar, so if it comes to it,
we'll probably be going
to them for favors.
[LAUGHS]
Anything Anything else? Anybody?
Okay. Well, I have been
at Memorial long enough
- to know that most of these
- Baptist.
I have been at this hospital long enough
to know that most of these storms,
they just blow on over.
But it is the wasp that you're not
paying attention to that stings ya.
So let's just do what
we are supposed to do.
That's it. Let's go do work!
- All right. Great. Thanks. Thanks.
- [CLAPPING]
[NEWSCASTER] This is a grim
situation for the city of New Orleans.
[ADMINISTRATOR] Did you come
over from LifeCare, Chalmette?
- [NURSE] Yeah.
- Diane Robichaux.
Oh, Gina Isbell.
How many patients
did you bring with you?
- Uh, 19.
- Jesus.
Yeah. Well, corporate, you know. They
think Chalmette's gonna get hit hard.
They'd rather evacuate patients from
there over to here at LifeCare, Baptist.
It's "Memorial."
You call the hospital "Baptist,"
you sound like an old-timer.
[CHUCKLES] Well,
corporations come and go.
They can call it whatever they
want. To me, it's still Baptist.
[CHUCKLES] Everybody get settled okay?
- Yeah. You know, brought my A-team.
- Good. Good.
There is a patient I wanna keep my eye
on. Emmett Everett. Paraplegic, diabetic.
Got him in a big boy bed now, but
he might need some special care.
- Okay. Anything you need, let us know.
- Okay. Thanks, hon.
[REPORTER] It is now a monster.
Category 5, 160-mile-an-hour winds…
[DIANE] Morning, Angela.
Morning, Diane.
Wilda.
- Wilda.
- Mm-hmm.
How's your mom doing?
Ma, tell Diane how you're doing.
Pretty good.
- Yeah? You good?
- [GROANS] I'm all right.
All right.
Her temperature's down.
Oh, that's a good sign. She's
fighting off the infection.
You gonna stay here with
your mom for the storm?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah?
Well, I think the kitchen's making
food. You need something, just go get it.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
She is looking better
though. Your mom is.
[ANNA] It's not anything
like what I expected.
There are people everywhere.
They have their pets with them.
Everything seems just so disorganized.
- [VINCE] Right.
- But everybody acts like it's normal.
[VINCE] Well, I guess it is, right?
I guess it is normal for
people who have done it before.
Yeah. [SIGHS] I got laughed at.
What? You got laughed at, why?
Because I only brought a
six-pack of water and some tuna.
Come on. You'll only be
there a few days most.
[CHUCKLES] That's what I said.
I wish you were here.
I don't just mean in my
heart. I wish you were here.
I wish that you would come.
[VINCE] I know. I know, darling, but I
gotta take care of the house, all right?
The house can take care
of itself. You know?
Because when things get bad,
you know, if they get bad,
I don't wanna have to call you.
I wanna be able to turn
around and see you here.
Okay, look, I'm going to
see you in a day, all right?
Okay. Promise?
Yeah, I promise.
Uh, would you say a prayer for us?
You say it. You know, I've
been saying them all day.
[SIGHS] Okay. Um…
All right. God be surrounding you.
You are safe in his arms.
His light will always guide you.
Amen.
Can you do me a favor? Would you
take care of yourself? All right?
Mmm. Okay.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
Hey! Hey, don't touch that!
You gotta go around!
That's a live wire! Go around!
Shit.
- [PERSON GRUNTS, GROANS]
- [WIND HOWLING]
- Power's still on? [PANTS]
- Yeah.
[BREATHES HEAVILY] Lines are
already coming down. [SIGHS]
[MAYOR] As a result of that, uh, I
am this morning, uh, declaring, um,
that we will be doing a mandatory
evacuation, and I'm gonna read…
Mark, your mom's in the city.
Are they evacuating the hospitals?
Is she gonna be all right?
[WIND HOWLING]
Mark.
What do we do?
- Mr. Everett.
- Oh, Emmett's good, thank you.
Emmett, I'm Diane Robichaux,
one of the administrators
up here at LifeCare.
How you doing?
- Well, I'm all right. How you doing?
- I'm good.
Your trip over from
Chalmette was all right?
It was all right.
You sure? Heard you got a little
something going on with your blood sugar.
Yeah, a little something's
been going on, but I'm good.
You're not sneaking any snacks, are ya?
- Nah, I know better than that.
- [LAUGHS] I'm just checking.
Today's gonna be a little
crazy with the storm landing.
- You have anybody? Anybody at home?
- My wife.
- What's her name?
- Carrie.
Right, you need someone to
call and check in with her?
Ah, I got a phone.
All right. You have trouble getting
through, you let somebody know.
- Thank you.
- You just get some rest.
We'll get you back to Chalmette
just as soon as all this passes.
All right.
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTS]
[GASPS] Rolfie!
Ah, how are you, huh?
[ROLFIE WHINES]
Thought you had to keep
the pets downstairs?
Other people do.
That isn't right.
You want me to take him back downstairs?
Well, I just want you to be fair.
I'm a doctor, and
doctors ought to be able
to bend the rules in their own hospital.
Doctors should set an example.
Oh, fine.
You want me to take him back downstairs?
I'll take him back downstairs.
- Ewing.
- [CLEARS THROAT] Come on, Rolfie.
Mommy doesn't want you here.
Ewi Ugh, this is like when
we were in that hotel in Atlanta,
and they made us take the
freight elevator with Rolfie,
and you wanted to be
on the people elevator.
That poor woman, she almost
Well, she just went crazy
from the door opening.
- Rolfie was standing
- [PHONE RINGS]
Ewing! They almost kicked us out
[EWING] Yeah. Yeah, hello.
Well…
[NEWSCASTER] Potentially
catastrophic storm, Hurricane Katrina.
The US National Hurricane
Center says that Katrina
had made landfall just
east of Grand Isle.
That is about 60 miles
south of New Orleans.
[WIND HOWLING]
[CORRESPONDENT] The streets
are filling with water
that is having trouble
draining into the city's, uh,
sewer system and pump system…
[WIND HOWLING]
Oh, I'm fine. I am just
a little bit chilly, yeah.
[MARK] Well, you keep warm,
now. Are the nurses there?
Oh, they're here. Nurses are here,
you know, just like regular. Right.
- Is Jill with you?
- Oh, Jill, yes.
Jill's here. Yeah.
Well, that's good. You You
stay close to Jill. Okay, Ma?
[PARENT STAMMERS] Listen, Mark.
Uh, what I'm really concerned
about is you and Sandra. Now
How are you doing there?
- No, no, we'll be all right.
- [WIND HOWLING]
Now listen, if anything happens,
do what the doctors tell you…
- [STATIC]
- …take good care
[STAMMERS] Hello. I
can't hear you, dear.
- I can't hear you. What? [SIGHS]
- Mom? Okay They'll take good care
What's that? I I can't hear you.
- Mom?
- Mark?
Mom?
M-Mark?
Mom!
[WIND HOWLING]
Mom, you there?
[SIGHS] Mark?
[WIND HOWLING]
Shit.
Is your mom all right?
Lost connection.
[SIGHS]
[SUSAN] Mom.
Hey. I didn't mean to wake you.
Everything okay?
Okay as it can be.
- [GRUNTS]
- [SUSAN SIGHS]
I'm a nursing director.
I didn't expect to be
in charge of all this.
Tired?
I'm all right.
[SIGHS]
Feels good, Mom.
- [THUNDER RUMBLING]
- [WIND HOWLING]
[CLANGING]
Diane. Got a problem.
[PHONE RINGING]
- Mulderick.
- This is Diane Robichaux.
- I'm sorry. Who is this?
- Diane Robichaux up at LifeCare.
We have water leaking through
the I mean, through the ceiling.
[SUSAN] Do you know
where it's coming from?
Well, I don't know, but
there's water coming through.
Is everything all right?
I can't tell you what's
going on up there.
Well, you're the incident
commander for the hospital, yes?
Yes.
So I'm asking, is everything all right?
[STAFF CHATTERING]
- Eric. Eric.
- Yeah.
I just got a call from
someone up at LifeCare.
They're saying there's water
coming through the ceiling.
- Water?
- Coming through the ceiling.
LifeCare. That's seventh floor.
Probably rainwater getting
blown into the building.
That's what I thought.
But everything else?
Any other problems? This
building can take these winds.
Been here 80 years. It can take it.
Only thing to worry about,
worst case, is flooding.
Severe flooding.
Okay. If there was severe flooding
- I mean, what would we do?
- We'd have to evacuate.
Evacuate?
How?
Well, I don't know how.
I mean, you're the incident commander.
[SIGHS]
I'm not having a very good
feeling about any of this.
I'm concerned about what happens
to the hospital if it's flooded.
If this storm is a Cat 5 like
how they keep saying on TV,
even if it's Category 4,
and it pushes a lake,
a river, over a levee
Hospital sits three
feet below sea level.
It's not gonna take much to flood the
basement. Maybe even the first floor.
Well, if we have need to move
patients to the second floor, third
- We can't move ER patients.
- That's not the only problem.
It's the backup generators.
Parts of the emergency power system
are at ground level. Below ground level.
If the levees were to breach,
if the city power goes
If the levees breach. If we lose power.
We're gonna lose the backup generators,
and we're gonna lose all
power in the hospital.
All power. No equipment, no
monitors, no ventilators, no pumps
I get it. All means all.
When you say flooding, how much
standing water are we talking about?
Eight feet, ten feet?
Take about four feet to
put us out of business.
And there's already a foot of water
more than a foot out there right now.
Jesus fucking Now is not
a good time to be hearing this.
Well, I wrote up a memorandum after
the last hurricane warning you all
about something like this. I put
it in front of the administrators.
It doesn't do any good to get defensive.
[ERIC] I'm not getting defensive.
I'm telling y'all that this isn't
the first time this has come up.
All right, fine. So
what are our options?
There are no options. We lose
power, we'd have to evacuate.
- Okay.
- [SUSAN] It is not okay.
There is no plan for evacuating
the hospital if it's flooded.
[RENÉ] What does the
emergency manual say?
There is no plan for evacuating
the hospital if it's flooded.
There's a plan for a mass casualty
event, a civil disorder event,
a bomb threat event, a plan
for an active shooter situation.
There's a hundred and
something pages in there
about what to do in case
of a bioterror attack.
There is no plan for an evacuation
if the hospital is flooded.
[SIGHS]
No, I just reread it. There is
nothing in there about 2,000 people,
200 of them patients, cut off
stranded in a hospital without power.
If the basement floods,
we lose all the food, the
fresh water, all our supplies.
Look, four feet of water,
and we have got problems.
We've got more than problems.
Well, you're the incident commander.
Jesus. Could people stop saying that?
If there's something we should
be doing, it's your call.
[METAL CREAKING]
[WIND HOWLING]
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
Ma.
Ma.
[WILDA] Mmm.
I'm gonna take a little walk.
I'll be right back. Promise.
[WILDA] Mm-hmm.
[BREATHES SHAKILY]
[SNIFFS]
[SIGHS]
[SNIFFS]
[SIGHS]
[SNIFFLING]
[SIGHS]
[SNIFFLING]
[SNIFFLING]
[CLICKS TONGUE, CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLES]
[CHUCKLING]
[CLICKS TONGUE] Oh.
Yeah.
[WEATHERPERSON] Wind gusts
of about 185 miles per hour.
And winds of up to 150 miles per hour.
It is still expected to
be a formidable menace.
Tornado warnings at this hour
expected for Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Florida…
[REPORTER] In its wake,
there have been winds registering
over 100 miles per hour.
And that's here about four miles inland.
Along the sea, it's been
much worse than that.
We've already got reports of
boats tossed along Interstate 90,
which is about 75 feet
away from the beach.
You can see widespread damage.
There are stoplights down.
The new sh theaters, the
new restaurants, the new hotels
that have been built in the last
couple years all have been damaged.
[BREATHING SHAKILY]
[WIND HOWLING]
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
You okay?
You all right?
Mr. Hill.
Let's get you back to your room, okay?
- Okay.
- Okay, come.
[BREATHING SHAKILY]
[SIGHS]
Okay. Ready?
Yeah.
- [SIGHS]
- There we go. All right.
[MR. HILL BREATHES HEAVILY]
[SIGHS]
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[THUDS]
[SIGHS]
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- [SHOUTS]
[WAILS]
[RADIO CHATTER]
What's going on?
I was with a patient. What's happening?
Anna.
[GASPS]
- [WIND HOWLING]
- [METAL CREAKING]
Susan.
- Susan, you're bleeding.
- I'm just It's fine.
Anna, it's Mulderick.
The walkway's shaking badly. I
don't think it's gonna hold up.
You need to evacuate.
You gotta get out of there, or
you'll be cut off from everything.
Got it. Start going across.
Get everyone off the unit.
We have to evacuate. Get everybody out.
- Okay, let's go! Let's go!
- Across the walkway.
Everybody, across the walkway!
No, no, no. Leave your things.
Leave your things and go.
Eric, the storm's surging.
The water's at three feet.
Copy that. The water's coming in fast.
Come on! Hurry! Hurry!
Go. I'll meet you.
All right, take everybody you can
and move them off the floor. Let's go!
You too. Let's go.
Wait. But is everyone off the east side?
I don't know.
- Take her. I'm right behind you.
- Let's go.
Susan. Mulderick, are you there?
- I'm here.
- It's Karen. I'm in ICU.
The windows are breaking and the
floors are filling up with water.
Get everybody you can off the unit.
Okay, we're doing that. But there's
I got patients. We can't move.
Do what you can, but you gotta hold on.
[ERIC] Susan!
- Susan!
- You gotta hold on.
- We got water coming into the basement.
- How much?
[ERIC] It's at three
feet outside the building.
We've gotta get everything
outta the basement.
- Food supplies, everything.
- That'll take hours.
We've got 200 doctors and
staff. Get 'em. Get 'em working.
- Food and water first.
- Let's go.
Get to the basement.
Horace… it's Susan.
- I'm here.
- Horace, the basement is flooding.
The first floor might take on water.
I need y'all to start moving the people
from admitting to the second floor,
and I need it done calmly.
Understood.
Bryant. Bryant.
Um, we have to move all these folks
upstairs quickly but very calmly.
- Got it?
- Yeah.
[BRYANT] Excuse me. If I
could have your attention?
Uh, we might be getting
some new patients in.
Emergency arrivals. So we're gonna
go ahead and move people upstairs.
Go ahead and grab your things.
Walk upstairs just one floor.
Okay.
Here it comes.
Easy going. We gotta keep it moving.
[TEARING]
[METAL CREAKING]
Anyone else here? [PANTS]
Anyone here?
Anyone else here?
[NURSE SOBBING]
[SOBBING CONTINUES]
[ANNA] Come on.
Come with me.
Oh, no.
Come on. Come on. Close your
eyes. Okay, close your eyes.
It's gonna be okay.
It's gonna be okay.
[ANNA] Awesome God, we thank
you for your protection.
We need your protection.
Give your divine and protect
protective shield, Lord.
Thank you. Thank you for your mercy.
Look over Lisa every time
she's sleeping. Thank you.
Give your divine and protect
protective shield, Lord. Thank you.
- [BREATHES HEAVILY]
- [ELECTRICITY HUMMING]
[GASPS]
God, help us. [SIGHS]