Pediatric Emergency Medicine Doctor Goes Into Lockdown As She Prepares For Hurricane Milton Victims

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned about essential employees unable to stay locked in their homes because they had to go to work. The same is true during significant weather events that would otherwise keep people home. People who work in hospitals have to be there to care for patients. Sometimes, going back and forth between home and work is not possible, so they must shelter at the medical facility.

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Megan Martin is a pediatric emergency physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is also part of the hospital’s disaster team, which means she is on duty during significant weather events like Hurricane Milton. With the threat of severe weather looming, Megan and her husband decided to divide and conquer. He took the family’s four cats to a safe place for shelter while Megan and the kids checked into the hospital to weather the storm.

The mom explained that her kids would be safe with her and they would stay at the hospital as long as they needed. While she worked, the hospital arranged for childcare for its employees so that everyone could be where they needed to be without concern.

Megan said that during a lockdown, employees work their shifts and are free to do what they want as long as they do not leave the hospital grounds during their off time. That means a lot of time hanging out and playing games. Because there are so many people involved with running a hospital besides doctors and nurses, such as food service, pharmacy, and registration, there are many friends to keep everyone company during Hurricane Milton.

“While it’s not ideal, we will be totally fine for the next couple of days until we get tagged out by the recovery team,” she explained on TikTok. “But until then, we’re just hoping everyone stays safe out there.”

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