Hurricane
Katrina, which struck New Orleans August 29th, had enormous impact
on the lives of many Lambeth House people, residents and employees
alike. Here, Lambeth House Executive Director Scott Crabtree,
who remained on premises throughout the challenges, answers questions
about what happened, the aftermath and the future.
Q.
What happened to Lambeth House during Katrina?
A.
Independent Living residents were safely evacuated from Lambeth
House without incident. Our Independent Living residents have
their own evacuation plans and most left two days before Katrina.
The majority of our Assisted Living and Nursing Care residents
were evacuated to Lutcher and Baton Rouge by our staff. We have
a formal arrangement with both a nursing home and a continuing
care retirement community to serve as host sites. The evacuation
was executed according to our emergency preparedness plan.
Q.
How many people returned when you re-opened?
A.
Lambeth House reopened the Nursing
Care continuum on October 24, 2005, less than two months post
Katrina. The Independent Living apartments reopened on November
1. Assisted Living was delayed until later in November as staffing
was increased. As of December 31, 2005, Independent Living had
109 of its 118 apartments occupied, 35 of 39 Nursing Care beds
occupied and 33 of 51 Assisted Living apartments occupied.
Q.
Is there still some damage undergoing repairs today?
A.
The structure of Lambeth House had relatively
little damage. The modern structure was designed and built to
the highest standards. This was proven true with the minimal damage
that did occur. Wind driven rain affected some common area carpeting
and sheetrock, and less than 20 apartments sustained minor damage,
again primarily to carpeting. Repairs are ongoing with carpet
being manufactured for the first, third and fourth floors. All
other carpeting has been replaced. We are still awaiting the delivery
of several doors and glass. Some minor inconveniences still exist
but the overall lifestyle of Lambeth House is returning to pre-Katrina
levels.
Q.
How much staff was able to return to work?
A.
Like many businesses, especially healthcare and
retirement related, many former employees of Lambeth did not return
to the New Orleans area. The leadership team consisting of 18
managers, saw 14 return to Lambeth (these 14 actually remained
at Lambeth or in our Baton Rouge office preparing for our reopening).
This includes the CEO, COO, and CFO. Three of the four leadership
members who did not return to Lambeth House relocated out of state
due to the hardships placed on their personal lives from Katrina.
We have been fortunate to employ excellent staff and continue
to rebuild our team. Currently we are employing 98 personnel and
continue to recruit, hire and train staff.
Q.
What about the work on the building underway before the hurricane?
A.
The Board of Lambeth House had undertaken a major waterproofing
project on the building. Due to issues in the waterproofing system
at original construction, the Board, on advice of consultants,
initiated a project to completely waterproof and reclad the brick
high rise. The project of course has been delayed since Katrina.
The construction was reinitiated on January 26, 2006 with a new
completion date of January 15, 2007. The scaffold that you see
is not a result of damage from Katrina, but instead the
ongoing project.
Q.
What will you do differently next time a hurricane threatens?
A.
The Lambeth House leadership team has already begun meetings to
specifically critique our response to Katrina. We are very pleased
with the collaboration of staff, residents and others before,
during and after Katrina. We have many friends that assisted us.
We feel that our emergency preparedness plan worked very well
and expect only minor adjustments to that plan. We will work closely
with our residents and their families over the next five months
to ensure that everyone has a plan and that we continue to be
prepared for the next hurricane season.
Broadway
Services, Inc., a not-for-profit, non-denominational, licensed
professional services entity, has assumed full and sole operational
responsibility for providing all medical and other resident services
at Lambeth House, which services it provides through its own employees
and independent contractors. Lambeth House, Inc., a not-for-profit,
non-denominational registered continuing care retirement community,
retains financial responsibility for paying Broadway Services,
Inc., to provide such services to continuing care residents.