The horrific story (being linked on Drudge) of the bus that caught on fire, killing evacuating nursing home residents whose oxygen tanks exploded, suggests that there are no fail-safe responses to natural disasters. Now the city government of Bellaire, TX, which evacuated these patients, is on the defensive because of the decision to evacuate:
Bellaire city officials defended the decision to evacuate the elderly patients from the Brighton Gardens nursing home.
“(Evacuating was) the right decision," Bellaire Mayor Cindy Siegel said. "Brighton Gardens was following their evacuation procedures. Just 24 hours ago, (Houston) was expected to take the brunt of Hurricane Rita, Brighton Gardens was doing their job to get their patients to safety"
"Unfortunately, this is a tragedy that we are very saddened by. I don’t think anyone can ever plan for every tragedy that can occur,” Siegel said.
Siegel said relatives of residents at Brighton Gardens should contact the nursing home directly at (713) 665-3888 to obtain information on their conditions.
