Acadian Ambulance Responds to Hurricane Ida

This article contains updated information. Details are current as of the time of publication.

Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana late Sunday August 29 as a Category 4 hurricane, and contributed to five deaths, according to CNN. Hundreds of people have been rescued, but search-and-rescue crews haven't been able to access some of the hardest-hit areas, so it's not yet clear how many residents might be still be trapped by flooding or debris, CNN reports.

Officials say electricity might not be restored to some areas for a month, which could prove life-threatening as intense heat moves into the region.

Acadian Ambulance coordinated the evacuation of approximately 700 patients prior to Hurricane Ida's landfall on Sunday, Richard Zuschlag, chairman and CEO of Acadian Ambulance, tells EMS World in an exclusive interview. Acadian brought in an additional 32 ambulances from other operational areas to aid in the response, Zuschlag says.

Acadian has operations in dozens of parishes and counties across Louisiana and Texas. Plans to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary were placed on hold in light of the storm response, said Zuschlag.

“This is much more organized” than the response to Hurricane Katrina on both the state and federal levels, Zuschlag tells EMS World, adding that the irony of Katrina’s landfall 16 years to the day was not lost on his organization or his crews. Katrina caused over 1,800 deaths and $125 billion in damage in New Orleans and the surrounding areas in late August 2005.

Acadian employed two ambulance buses and five vans for the Hurricane Ida operation, said Zuschlag. Twelve helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft were available for evacuations. Acadian transported patients from Ochsner St. Anne Hospital in Raceland, Louisiana, and Ochsner Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma to other Ochsner facilities, Zuschlag reports.

Acadian also facilitated the evacuation of approximately 100 patients from Terrebonne General to Ochsner facilities in New Orleans and Baton Rouge with the assistance of additional ambulances provided by FEMA and other EMS agencies.

Hurricane Ida brought some of the most severe winds to ever hit the state of Louisiana.

“The flooding is still very severe,” said Zuschlag, who was personally in the control room during the Katrina response.  Power lines over the Mississippi River were knocked over by Ida, and over 2,000 miles of power lines remain down, posing additional safety concerns with EMS crews. Major interstates remain closed.

Flooded roads and impassable debris are hampering initial recovery efforts, according to CNN. In some areas, those who evacuated may not be able to return for weeks. Hospitals and medical centers reported debris and water leaks, while others are relying on generators and transporting patients to hospitals in other states, CNN reported.

“This devastation is far worse than we thought,” Zuschlag tells EMS World. Fortunately, the company's headquarters in Lafayette, Louisiana, was undamaged and the service's communications infrastructure remained operational throughout the storm, he says. 9-1-1 responses were also unaffected.

While COVID transmission safety protocols have added extra steps to the transport operations, Zuschlag said that his crews had the benefit of instituting the protocols over the last year and a half of the pandemic. Despite the safety hazards presented to crews and staff, Zuschlag reports that evacuation efforts have gone smoothly and no crew injuries have been reported.

This article will be updated as additional information becomes available.