Hospital served city’s most vulnerable before Katrina trapped staff inside
Charity Hospital, a massive New Orleans landmark, long served as a major care provider for the city’s most vulnerable residents, the AP reported. When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the hospital became what the AP described as “a scene of heartbreak and heroism,” with medical staff working to keep patients alive without electricity or functioning medical equipment while floodwaters trapped them inside.
The hospital was shuttered after the last patients and staff were rescued in 2005. The long-vacant, storm-damaged structure has remained unused since.
Now, as Louisiana prepares to mark Katrina’s 21st anniversary on Saturday, the building is “on the brink of new life,” the AP reported. Helena Moreno and Tulane University’s Michael Fitts have been involved in redevelopment planning for the site, according to the AP’s reporting.