Tampa General, Manatee Memorial Hospitals Barricade Campuses Amid Hurricane Idalia In Florida

Hospitals in Florida are taking measures to protect their facilities as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in Florida today.

Specifically, Tampa General Hospital, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, barricaded its campus in Tampa, Fla., with an aqua fence, according to website baynews9.com.

In Bradenton, Fla., Manatee Memorial Hospital protected its acute care campus with a flood barrier, reported independent.co.uk

Tampa General Hospital’s aqua fence barrier stretches around the hospital and can prevent flooding and storm damage from the Category 3 storm. The water-impermeable barrier can handle a surge up to 15 feet above sea level.

Manatee Memorial Hospital’s flood barrier was installed by the Florida National Guard as an alternative to sandbags. The system consists of elongated flexible tubes, which can be quickly stacked, joined end to end, and filled with water to form a pyramid-shaped barrier.