Five Days at Memorial (2022) s01e04 Episode Script

1
Today, the story was one
of deteriorating conditions
- for those trapped in the city.
- Three days after Katrina,
how did New Orleans come to this?
And what nature
isn't ravaging, looters are.
In flooded streets,
wholesale rioting and looting erupted.
- Stop!
- …people struggling
- to pull their lives together.
- I don't know what I'm gonna do.
…like this are devastating.
…become so chaotic
that New Orleans police
have found themselves understaffed
The government hasn't sent us anything.
Officers are eating based on
what we find that looters didn't steal.
They're saying they've been feeding us.
They're lying.
Am I frustrated? Sure.
I'm frustrated, everybody's frustrated.
Help! Help! Help! Help!
I fully understand people wanting
things to have happened yesterday.
We cannot stand by
while this vital operation
is not being handled appropriately.
What the state was doing, I don't know.
And I blame you, Ray Nagin,
for your people out here need you.
It may be remembered
as the most glaring example
of how the federal, state,
and local governments failed the poorest
and most needy victims of the
The government did not know
about the Convention Center people
until today.
We got a baby out here
that don't have no formula, no water.
Where's FEMA? Where's the Man?
Who's in charge here?
You guys are.
So, let's talk about
the fourth day at Memorial.
Well, um, by the fourth day
the water had settled to the level
of the emergency ramp at the hospital.
We'd lost all power in the building.
All of our equipment.
Everything that we
need to help patients.
The patients, they started dying,
and there was nothing we could do
to help them.
Uh, so, at-at what point
did people start panicking?
We didn't panic.
What, you weren't scared?
Mmm.
After the levees broke,
it was a day one full day
before a single person
at the city, at the state level
made any kind of emergency declaration.
We were surrounded by water,
and no one told us.
Yes, we should've been scared.
We should've started scrambling
to save patients. But we didn't.
Not because we panicked,
but because we didn't know enough
to panic.
There were
45 bodies found at the hospital.
Were any of those patients murdered?
You were head
of the hospital's ethics committee.
- You're better suited than anyone…
- If you're asking me
…to determine whether or not some of
those people were killed intentionally.
Ethics can be…
What I can tell you
All I can tell you is that
there was an organized effort
to reduce the level of misery
the patients had to endure.
And in those last days at Memorial…
all there was, was misery.
Richard? You got anything?
Nothing. None of
the helicopters are landing here.
All right. Well, tell me
as soon as you've got something.
Will do.
- Where did you get them?
- Hands off the bag.
- I'm taking them.
- Who told you?
Answer me.
- I need these.
- Who gave you permission?
I don't need your permission.
I'm taking them to
patients. I need them.
We are not
- What is going on?
- He's stealing water.
- I am not stealing any wa
- What the fuck is all that?
It's the hospital's.
It doesn't belong to you.
Are you assigned to this unit?
- No.
- Then get off.
Go!
Okay, come on, um…
Let's pick these up.
- Okay.
- And, um, give one to every patient.
We've got one. They're here! Let's go!
Susan! We've got a helicopter.
Start sending up patients.
Jesus. Thank you, God.
We'll start sending up critical ones.
- Karen, are you there?
- Susan?
We have a helicopter. You need
to start staging your patients now.
Okay, copy. I'll start bringing them.
Okay, come on.
Everybody, we're bringing them down.
Okay, we're taking the patients
to the helipad. Come on. Let's go.
Karen.
Karen, the elevators aren't working.
Oh, fuck. Um… …okay.
Okay, get a flashlight.
Everybody Everybody who is
able-bodied, please come over here.
Okay. You, come over here. Okay.
- Everybody, watch.
- Yep.
Grab up the sides of the sheet.
Okay, keep it tight.
Don't let there be any slack.
Do not move until I say so.
We are gonna carry the patients
all the way down to the helipad
just like this. Understand?
Okay. Everybody, careful. Watch
your feet. Everybody, careful. Careful.
God, it's even hotter in here.
Watch your step.
Lift her a little higher.
Yep. Slow. Slow.
Watch your back. Okay.
Go around the corner.
Let me know when you need to rest.
- Okay, watch your feet. Another corner.
- Slow. Slow.
Okay.
Vitals are strong. He's ready to move.
Whoa, hey, hey, whoa! Wait, wait, wait!
This way, this way, this way.
We're taking critical patients first,
and it's a trek to
get up to the helipad.
Okay.
You gotta go across the floor
to another corridor,
back around the parking garage,
- then down the ramp to get to the pad.
- Wait, how long does that take?
- About 40 minutes.
- Forty minutes?
- For every patient? In this heat?
- Yeah.
The elevators in the parking garage
aren't working.
There's no good way to get up there.
All right?
- All right.
- Okay. Um…
Okay. Hey, come on! Bring her over here.
- Lori, keep them patients coming down.
- Got it.
Okay, come on. All right, let's go.
Let's go.
- Come on.
- Go. Go.
What happened?
She went non-communicative.
She won't take water.
- Yeah, that's heatstroke.
- She's in pain.
- Is there something we can give her?
- There's not enough time.
- Not enough time?
- Yeah.
- I have to get ready to move patients.
- She is in pain.
Get her a damp towel,
- keep her cool
- You're just gonna let her suffer?
Anna.
Ken… …I need something
for acute discomfort for a patient.
- Discomfort?
- Pain. Pain!
Uh, we have morphine.
I need five milligrams.
You'll have to fill out a prescription.
Are you kidding?
We have to keep records.
Even Even with all this,
we have to maintain
some kind of protocol.
Can you hurry?
Can you please hurry?
- Anna.
- I'm not letting her suffer.
Okay, she's comfortable for now
until we can get her out of here.
Anna.
Some of the staff,
they've been going to their cars.
Turning on the air conditioning,
listening to a little music.
Horace. I'm okay. I'm fine.
Have got to find a way
to get the patients to the pad faster.
- Just any way you can.
- Yeah. Yeah. I got it. I got it.
What's this?
You wanted a list
of our LifeCare patients.
- Oh, right. Thank you.
- With the patients who were here
at the hospital
and the ones we transferred over,
- it's 53 altogether. We lost two.
- Okay.
- Susan. I'm sorry.
- We have another seven who
I'm sorry. Excuse me.
We need to suspend all intravenous care.
The select is just too high a risk,
uh, for extravasation
Excuse me.
The list.
Sandra has got it.
Well, what is she gonna
What Excuse me.
- What are you gonna do with it?
- I'm gonna…
We, uh We are
We are doing the best we can,
and we will let you
know what we find out.
What is there to find out?
We have 54
53 patients we need evacuated.
We were waiting for National
Guard trucks that didn't come.
We were waiting for helicopters
that haven't arrived. We have your list.
We will work your patients
into our rotation as best we can.
Now, what you should do is go back
and be with your patients.
I need you to talk to the unit managers.
We have got to start
conserving food and water.
We gotta go to the minimum.
Uh, healthy patients…
Help! We need help!
No, please. Help us, please!
We need help. Okay? Come on, man.
Help out. We need help.
Come on in. I got you. Come on in.
Thank you.
- Keep coming. Keep coming.
- Come on, Mama.
People see the helicopters
taking off from the pad.
They think we can
help get 'em to safety.
Hospital's like a lighthouse in a storm.
And they're coming to us.
How many?
About ten so far.
- We can't take any more people.
- We're a hospital.
We're in full evacuation mode. We
can't take care of the people we have.
How are we
supposed to take care of anyone else?
- How are we gonna keep people away?
- I mean, ca-call the police?
Even if we could, clearly,
the police don't give a shit about us.
So what are we supposed to do?
We supposed to shoot people?
Is that what we're talking about?
We're talking about doing
what's necessary.
The Superdome,
home to 20,000 storm-weary people,
is surrounded by water.
Inside, the toilets
and air conditioning are broken.
I've asked the president to give us
all the resources possible today.
Michael.
I'm being told
that the Coast Guard helicopters
are not gonna evacuate those patients
from that other hospital, from LifeCare.
What?
I'm being told that the LifeCare
patients aren't on some list.
They sent us the names.
It's It's 53 patients.
Those patients are not on the list
that Tenet sent to the Coast Guard.
I'm in touch with the Guard.
We can tell them
- Michael.
- It's 53 people.
All I know is the Coast Guard
choppers are for Memorial patients.
What did they tell you?
Something about
They radioed the Coast Guard.
They can't take any of our patients.
"Ten pallets of water. Portable
O2 tanks. 20Ds. 12Es. Sixty"
Susan. What are you telling my people?
I told her what was communicated to me.
That you're not helping our patients?
Our corporation has secured
transportation for our patients
Those are
Those are Coast Guard helicopters.
Your corporation
doesn't own the Coast Guard.
Now, I gave you a list of names.
Why aren't we being evacuated
with everybody
If I could get an answer,
I'd give one. I can't.
You're getting your people out…
and…
…you're leaving ours to die?
"Sixty-five doses of insulin.
Fourteen bags of D50."
And we're low on NSAIDs, antibiotics,
anti-nausea, anti-seizure meds.
They shot him. They just
- So, this brother was looting?
- He was taking diapers.
Cops showed up, shot him.
Shot him in the back and left him there.
We're the ones drowning in this,
and they're shooting us?
You know, I mean, we're
It's like we're not even human.
I mean, we need help.
We need help, and they are killing us.
They're killing us like we are dogs.
That's all we are to them.
We're not people, we're not humans.
We're just dogs to them.
We're dogs, and they are killing us.
I'm sorry, sir. I can't take any more.
I'm telling you, that's it.
I can't take any more people.
People are gonna die
if you don't take them.
The weight! I'm at capacity!
I'm at capacity!
We have 200 people we need to evacuate!
Hey. Hey!
Quit arguing, okay?
They know their copters.
You're just slowing them down.
Who are all these people?
- They brought up patients.
- What are they still doing here?
This is dangerous. You need to clear
Hey! I'm in charge.
Oh, yeah? I was in the Air Force.
A captain.
I was trained to run a flight line.
Were you?
- What do you want me to do?
- Get these people downstairs,
and get the patients ready to go.
All right. Everyone, who doesn't need
to be with a patient? Who does
Who doesn't need to be here?
If you don't need to be here,
I need you off of the pad.
The opening's not real big,
maybe three-by-three and a quarter feet,
but it goes directly from the building
to the parking garage.
- And we can get patients through?
- Should be able to.
If we can, we can cut 15, maybe 20
minutes off the trip up to the helipad.
Find Karen. Show her the way.
Yeah, you got it.
We can't help you! This
is This is It's private property.
Excuse me. I gotta get past.
This is private property!
Go somewhere else!
What are you doing?
Why aren't you helping?
- Help us! You gotta help us!
- Keep back!
How about How about the kids?
Take Take Take the children.
- Please.
- He's got kids!
Brother, I'm tellin' ya. Stay back!
- Come on, man, please!
- We shooting?
- Brother.
- Just help.
Charles, think about this. Come on!
- Are we shooting?
- Please help us.
- Stay where you are! I'm telling you.
- Please!
Stay back!
They're not here for us.
Come on. We're moving.
Hold up.
Charles. Charles, hold up.
Hey! What were you gonna do?
You were going to shoot him?
Shoot his kids?
What the fuck were you doing?
What I was told.
The fuck?
Where the hell are they all going?
Oh, shit.
You are looking at
a live feed of Air Force One
with President Bush on board,
uh, doing what can only be described
as a flyby of the city of New Orleans.
President Bush is traveling
from Texas to Washington DC,
but the White House
has not yet confirmed
if the president will visit
the affected areas,
even as the city struggles
to rescue people.
He's not even gonna land?
He's not gonna do anything?
Here we go. Easy.
Okay, that's it.
Okay, that's good. All right, let's go.
Bring it in.
I have one left.
Mr. Scott, I'm Susan Mulderick.
How ya doing?
Hot as hell.
Yeah, well, we're we're trying to do
what we can with what we've got.
Karen told you that that we're
getting everybody out of the hospital?
Yes, ma'am.
Now, just as soon as we can,
we're gonna move you.
If you're feeling any distress,
you let us know. Okay?
Well, I'll be right
here. That's for sure.
Okay.
Is he gonna fit
through that opening in that garage?
I don't know. I don't think so.
But we can't slow
everything down trying.
There's another patient at LifeCare.
Same thing. Morbidly obese.
Probably about 300 pounds or so.
They're gonna have to go last.
Both of 'em.
But we're getting them
out, right? Susan?
I don't know if I'm getting out.
Hey, it's Vince.
Anna and I can't come to the phone.
Leave us a message.
Vince, I don't know
if you're getting these messages, uh,
but I want you to know
that I'm okay. Um…
There's, uh There's still no power.
And we've got no help.
There's nobody, uh
Like, nobody's in charge.
Not at the hospital.
Nobody at the at
the city or the state.
And And people are dying.
I just watched a patient die.
I mean, he was suffering so much,
and and we couldn't help him.
Vince, my battery's almost gone.
I'll So I'm gonna turn my phone off.
Will you leave me
a message when you get this one?
Right, I love you.
Yep.
Okay, right Straight ahead.
Susan.
You need to talk to this man.
Hi, I'm Mike Bowles.
I'm from the state's
Department of Health and Hospitals.
We're gonna get you all outta here.
Our patient count has dropped
from 187 to about 130.
Our general head count
is 460 Memorial employees,
uh, 447 family members
and folks who were sheltering.
There are also 53 LifeCare employees and
the same number of LifeCare patients.
Those aren't our patients.
I'm just acknowledging that
technically they're not our patients.
We're running out of food.
And we will be out of fresh water
by tomorrow.
Okay, at the rate you're going,
realistically,
there's no way
you're getting everybody out.
You need to reorient your evacuation.
Reorient how?
Well, right now you're prioritizing
your sickest patients.
They need the most help.
They're the least ambulatory.
It's taking too long to move 'em.
Patients who can get out,
who have the capacity to get out,
those are the ones
you should be moving first.
You all have triage armbands?
Somewhere, yeah.
Well, it should be standard kit.
Green, yellow, red, black.
Have the doctors distribute the bands.
Patients who are well enough to move
by themselves, give 'em green bands.
Patients who need assistance,
yellow bands.
Those who are completely dependent
on care, red bands.
And the black bands?
Anybody you think can't be saved.
Now, this other hospital, uh, LifeCare.
If y'all are working together
on your evac,
you need to have a standard procedure.
Patients they think they might not
be able to save, give 'em black bands.
We had considered patients
with do-not-resuscitate orders
should be in whatever group goes last.
If that's what you decided,
then they should all get black bands.
So, that's that's how we're gonna
decide who lives and who dies?
By colored armbands?
Trying to save all your patients
means some that could've gotten out
are gonna end up dying.
Who are you with again?
- Who is it
- Department of Health and Hospitals.
No, who is telling you
that this is the protocol
we're supposed to be using right now?
People are saying things,
he's saying things,
the National Guard's saying things,
but we don't know who's in charge.
You wanna know who's in charge? Nobody.
So y'all need to figure out
how you're gonna help yourselves.
Now, we're gonna start getting
boats in here as soon as we can.
Probably not until the morning.
Anybody that can move,
have them ready to go.
Oh, fuck. Oh, Jesus.
What happened? Everybody okay?
I couldn't see where I was going.
I almost fell off the side.
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Okay. You're okay.
Mmm.
People are exhausted.
They're starting to get careless.
They need to rest.
I really think we need to suspend
any evacuations for the night.
You wanna stop?
What else is gonna happen tonight?
Well, I would hope to Christ
we get out of this hospital.
There aren't any more trucks coming.
The guy from the Health Department,
he's not gonna have any boats
until tomorrow morning.
Somebody almost fell off the helipad
standing up there waiting
for helicopters that aren't coming.
We keep at it,
somebody's gonna get killed.
Patients are already dying.
And trying to keep this up
all night with an exhausted staff
Does that help them or hurt them?
Look, I'm only talking about
a few hours. Just until sunup.
Y'all have worked long,
and y'all have worked real hard.
But we can't keep it up.
It is too dangerous to try to get
patients up to the helipad in the dark.
So we are suspending the effort
for the night.
No. Come on.
Y'all should tell your people…
…to get as as much rest
Susan, uh, doesn't the Coast Guard
fly at night?
Yeah, they do. But it's
It's too dangerous for us.
Mistakes are being made,
and and accidents are happening.
So we we can't keep going.
- Y'all need to
- Nobody's getting out.
- As soon as it's light…
- I have a family.
…we'll start moving things along.
- When it gets light out…
- Look, nobody's getting outta here.
…they have promised us boats tomorrow.
Been here for three days.
So when it gets light, we're gonna start
moving things right along. Okay?
Carson, Carson. Carson, it's all right.
So y'all get some rest, and…
We're all gonna get
out of here. Come on.
See you back here at sunrise.
Go get some rest.
Mom.
Mom.
There are boats coming in the morning.
And I'm gonna get you on one of 'em.
- We're leaving?
- I'm getting you on a boat.
I'm not. No!
- I'm not leaving if you're not.
- We are not gonna talk about this.
We're not gonna argue.
You're getting on a boat.
You're going.
Mmm.
Boats are here.
Everybody, downstairs, now!
Boats are here!
Everybody, downstairs now!
Everybody, downstairs! Up!
Everybody, downstairs!
Come on. Up. Everybody, up!
Boats are here!
Downstairs now! Take one bag!
No animals! Downstairs now!
Take one bag. No animals!
We gotta go.
- What do we do with Rolfie?
- Just Just a bag.
One bag. That's it.
We've got to go.
Take one bag! No animals!
Everybody, up!
Uh, I guess. But I don't know.
- The city's decaying
- Horace.
- Yep.
- Horace, what's going on?
I don't know.
- Well, where are the boats?
- I don't know.
Ma'am,
you really wanna head back inside.
Ma'am!
Anna, what's going on?
There aren't any boats.
- They said they were going to send
- No boats.
Everybody, listen up.
Quiet.
- No boats.
- What?
There aren't any boats.
Are you serious? Come on, man. Like…
We were just gonna leave him.
Ewing. Are all your things here?
- What?
- Your belongings. Are they here?
Minnie?
- I think so.
- Yeah, yeah.
Some of the staff, their things
are gone. Somebody took 'em.
Took 'em when?
When we were downstairs.
Waiting for boats that weren't there.
Christ. Are these for real?
They're collector's items.
Wasn't gonna leave 'em at home.
They work. That's what matters.
Look, do we need these?
We've got security guards.
Clearly, they're not doing the job.
These are our patients, our families.
We need to protect them.
It's hot. It's always hot in here.
You can't imagine how hot.
We're running out of food and water.
And there's no medicine.
The patients are moaning and crying.
There's the constant sound of misery.
And the toilets have stopped working.
There's sewage everywhere.
You can smell waste and feces.
And people are choking on it.
And people are dying.
They're already starting to die.
We can't take it much longer.
We need help.
Mark, your mother needs help.
You need to help us.
You do something. Please, do something.
Did you hear her? They need help.
Memorial Hospital,
they need help, and they need it now.
Are you there?
At this time Memorial
is a secondary priority
- for all rescue operations.
- Did you hear what she said?
People are dying.
Memorial Hospital
is categorized as a secondary priority.
People are just standing around here.
Nobody's doing a goddamn thing,
and you won't let us help.
Do something! Do something!
You need to get off
this line. Get off this line now.
None of y'all gonna do anything?
You're not even gonna try?
Mark. Mark!
Mark.
We can try to get to
the hospital on foot.
But the water's too high.
It'll be too toxic to swim in.
We should get as close as we can,
then see if
Hey, hey, hey. Y'all wanna get
to the hospital? We'll get you there.
- How?
- We've got some boats.
We came to help people.
All they got us doing is nothing.
If we get someplace to launch,
can you find the hospital?
I know exactly where it is.
- Was born there.
- Soon as it's light, we'll head out.
No, we can go now.
Mark can find it with landmarks.
No. Snipers all around the city
shooting at anything that moves.
Now, we wanna help,
but, uh, we ain't gonna die doing it.
That's right.
Soon as it's light,
we'll head out. Okay?
All right.
There you go. It's okay.
I'll get you some.
Okay, I'll be back
in just one minute. Yes?
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Let's see.
- Oh, Jesus. He's burning up.
They all are.
It's gotta be 105 in here.
Been able to reach your husband?
Mm-mmm.
How's your family?
They're okay. My daughter,
she wanted adventure, so…
You should be getting some rest.
I could say the same to you.
Anna, you need rest.
Look at this.
How does this
This is something that happens
in a third-world country, not here.
How do people let this happen here?
- Did something happen?
- Yeah. It seems serious.
You see what's happening?
You know what they're doing?
I'm just trying
to take care of patients.
Hey, wait. Karen, we've got families,
folks, everybody coming to us for help,
and all they're doing
is pushing people away.
And you know why.
They're scared. They got guns,
and they're scared of us.
This isn't about us.
The f Are you listening to the news?
They're shooting us, Karen.
They're shooting us in the back.
People in here are dying, and you wanna
bring more into the hospital?
If you really cared about us,
you wouldn't let anyone up
into this place.
Not a single soul.
Now I'm gonna have to wait.
I c I can't.
That will help you cool down.
…are widespread outages
that could last for weeks
in areas affected by the stor
…lot of areas
throughout the city covered with water.
Uh, a lot of damage.
…martial law is in effect.
…kind of damage.
The entire top of the Superdome
has been peeled away.
It It literally looks like
Beirut with water.
It's what it looks like right