How To Prepare for a Blizzard: Hospital and Health System Edition

Winter storms and blizzards can bring extreme cold, heavy snowfall, ice accumulation, and dangerous winds that disrupt essential services, transportation, and hospital operations. Ensuring a hospital’s readiness for severe winter weather is critical to maintaining patient care and staff safety. Here’s how hospitals can prepare effectively for a blizzard.

Winter weather preparation: Priorities for hospitals

In all types of emergency management, the following are essential priorities for hospitals and health systems. However, there are additional key details to consider for how to prepare for a blizzard specifically.

1. Planning
2. Staffing
3. Power
4. Supplies
5. Facilities
6. Communication
7. Practice

1. Develop and update your emergency response plan

As an individual citizen, dealing with blizzard conditions is challenging enough, but as a healthcare leader, there are many more variables and dependencies to cover. Your organization’s comprehensive emergency response plan should outline all the necessary protocols for how to prepare for a blizzard and what to do when it happens. The plan must include:

• Emergency staffing: Identify essential personnel and establish contingency backups for those who may be unable to travel.
• Communication protocols: Designate clear, multichannel communication methods to be used with staff, patients, and emergency services.
• Shelter-in-place procedures: Plan accommodation for extended stays of staff and patients in case of road closures.
• Coordination with local authorities: List direct communication channels and contacts at emergency management agencies for support and real-time updates.

Consider distinct protocols for a blizzard or snowstorm watch vs. a warning, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The protocols should call for different levels of contingency planning depending on the severity of the weather event.

2. Provide staffing and housing arrangements

Severe winter weather can make commuting impossible, yet staffing is critical to sustain operations and patient care, and even more so during emergencies. To maintain adequate staffing and staff support, hospitals should:

• Designate on-site lodging for critical staff who may need to stay overnight.
• Set up ride-sharing or coordinate with local emergency responders for staff transportation.
• Crosstrain staff to perform essential roles in case of shortages.

Large health systems may need to consider a solution like the one described in the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Emergency Operations Plan, which provides for accommodations for between 800–1,000 staff in the event of an emergency. The shelter-in-place condition includes cots, linens, and support staff to prepare meals for healthcare workers.

3. Ensure backup power and heating

Power outages are common during blizzards. Backup power, whether in the form of generators or another power supply, can make the difference between success and failure. Hospitals must:

• Test backup generators regularly and ensure they have enough fuel or power to last several days.
• Maintain sufficient heating fuel and insulation measures to prevent interior temperature drops.
• Establish redundant power systems for lifesaving equipment such as ventilators and incubators.

Consider taking inventory of the electrically-powered systems your facilities rely on, as recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Categorize them as critical or noncritical based on a timeline of potential outage duration. Understanding the priorities within each unit and in relation to the larger organization can help determine triage protocols during a major outage and restoration efforts later.

4. Build a reserve of essential supplies

If normal supply deliveries are unavailable, a stockpile of extra supplies can make a critical difference during a blizzard for patients who depend on them. Hospitals should account for adequate amounts of the following supplies to sustain operations, including:

• Medical supplies and medications: Ensure an ample stock of essential medications, IV fluids, oxygen, and other medical necessities.
• Food and water: Keep at least a three-day supply of food and water for staff and patients.
• Winter gear and emergency kits: Provide blankets, warm clothing, and emergency kits for both staff and patients.

The Red Cross provides guidance for individuals, patients, and families that can supplement hospital efforts, including supplies that should go into a Go-Kit and a Stay-at-Home Kit. When individual citizens are better prepared, healthcare personnel have more time to focus on other critical needs.

5. Secure your facilities and infrastructure

In severe weather emergencies like blizzards, it may not only be a question of continuing operations — you might also need to restore facilities and infrastructure that have been compromised. Blizzards can generate heavy snow that causes blockages, closures, or damage. Hospitals should routinely:

• Inspect roofs and windows to ensure they can withstand heavy snow and high winds.
• Prepare snow and ice removal plans for entrances, walkways, and parking lots.
• Designate teams to manage HVAC and plumbing to prevent frozen pipes and heating failures.

The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania lists additional weather-related infrastructure impacts that might cause problems if not addressed, including complications from wet, heavy snow, downed electrical lines, icy walkways, abandoned vehicle obstructions, narrowed roadways, limited parking, and water penetration.

6. Maintain communication channels

Without functioning communication channels, it can be difficult to let the public know whether your organization is operational, provide updates on the status of services, and get the word out about your current needs. Hospitals should keep the community informed through:

• Social media updates on hospital status, road conditions, and emergency procedures.
• Coordination with local media to broadcast important information.
• Hotlines for patients to call for medical advice or transportation assistance.

Consider a command-and-control system, as outlined by the World Health Organization, in your plan. In this type of system, each major operational unit of your organization communicates through a central ad hoc command unit. A centralized structure helps leaders identify areas of greatest need and provides a complete picture of the situation as it unfolds.

7. Conduct blizzard readiness drills

Implementing an organizational disaster contingency plan may comprise most of the work of preparing for an emergency. But even with a solid plan in place, things can still go awry without practice. Delays, assumptions, and miscommunication can compound the effects of an emergency. Regular training and drills can help ensure that staff members know how to prepare for a blizzard, including their exact responsibilities for what to do during a real emergency. Your drills should include:

• Simulating staffing shortage scenarios and the corresponding role adjustments.
• Testing communication systems and power backups.
• Evaluating evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures.

The Joint Commission provides emergency management guides for several types of healthcare organizations, including hospitals. These guides list the critical components of a comprehensive emergency plan that must be tested and passed to be considered adequately prepared for emergencies.

You can never be too prepared for winter weather

Blizzards and severe winter weather can pose significant operational challenges for hospitals and health systems, but proactive planning can ensure continuous patient care and staff safety. Strengthening your emergency preparedness efforts can help mitigate risks and provide uninterrupted healthcare services during natural disasters.

Does your hospital have a winter weather preparedness plan? If so, how recently have you reviewed and updated your plan? Have your staff participated in a practice drill to be ready for a winter weather emergency? Now is the time to make sure everything knows how to prepare for a blizzard, because if one has happened before in your area, it will likely happen again.