SAN ANTONIO – Thousands of Texans have left their storm-battered homes for the safety of shelters in San Antonio.
Sixty-two families have already come from Houston. Many evacuees are in need of medical services. That's why every shelter in San Antonio is staffed 24/7 with doctors and nurses from University Health System.
The 19 staff members spread across the shelters will grow as more evacuees arrive.
"They come without their medications. A lot of them are diabetic. They don't have their insulin on them or any oral medications. Or they're cardiac patients, no heart medications. Some have wounds. Some have many other types of illnesses," said Theresa De La Haya, with University Health System. "Many of the families need to be assessed on a regular basis. If they’re diabetic, check their glucose level. We do blood pressure checks. We do wound changes here."
De La Haya wants to make the evacuees as comfortable as possible.
"These families have lost everything. They come here. They’re afraid. They have a lot of anxiety. There’s a lot of unknown as to what they’re going to expect. They’re just trying to survive the next couple of days. A lot of sad stories coming in," she said.
William and Asuncion Baldwin had to evacuate from their home in Port Lavaca. Asuncion has high-blood pressure, and when the couple got to the shelter, she began feeling dizzy and cold.
"The medical services were outstanding, checked her out, suggested she take another half of her meds for blood pressure, which brought her blood pressure down because it went up high. We went again today and they checked it and she's fine," William Baldwin said.
The shelter they're staying in can hold up to 2,500 people. It's prepped and ready to take in more people from Houston if they need to come.
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