Gale force winds batter Memphis; St. Jude stays on mission

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (ALSAC)
Friday, 25 July 2003

On Tuesday, July 22, a severe storm with straight-line winds believed to have reached 100 mph swept through Memphis, Tennessee, causing severe damage to homes and knocking out power to more than 300,000 residents, including those in the downtown area, the home of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Much of the city was left crippled.

But thanks to the generosity of its donors, and a little good fortune, St. Jude has not missed a step in providing the best care to its young patients, or in its research to find cures for deadly childhood catastrophic diseases.

While the hurricane-force winds lashed and destroyed many buildings in the downtown area, the St. Jude campus sustained only minimal damage to some of its support buildings.

Target House and the Ronald McDonald House, the housing for St. Jude patients having extended stays in Memphis, were temporarily without power, forcing patients and their families to area hotel rooms. Power has now been restored to both Target House and Ronald McDonald House with families moving back into the houses over the weekend of July 26.

But patient care and research have not stopped despite the lack of power throughout the city. The St. Jude physical plant's auxiliary power systems responded, keeping the hospital operational until the city's utility company was able to restore power.

"Our donors have not only provided us with the means of researching and treating childhood catastrophic diseases, but also the ability to continue our progress unabated in emergency situations such as this," said David. L. McKee, chief operating officer for ALSAC, the hospital's fund-raising arm. "Not once during the city-wide black-out were we forced to tell a parent that their child would not receive the needed chemotherapy or surgery because of power failures. The doctors, nurses, maintenance staff and support crews responded admirably to keep St. Jude on its mission. That could not have happened without the incredible support the hospital receives from its friends and donors."

If you would like to make a donation to St. Jude, please go to http://www.stjude.org/donate.

For more information, or to contact St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (ALSAC), see their website at: www.stjude.org