[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":2996,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"Florida hospitals are continuing to cope with high winds and storm-surge caused flooding resulting from Hurricane Irma.

By Monday morning, the hurricane had been downgraded to a Category 1 rating, pummeling cities along the eastern coastline of the state.

An estimated three dozen hospitals throughout the state have been forced to close or significantly limit operations, according to various news reports.

Storm-surge flooding and the loss of electricity have become some of the biggest effects of the natural disaster.

As of Monday morning, an estimated 5.5 million residents were without power, exceeding initial estimates by power companies serving the state. On Friday, NextEra Energy\u2019s Florida Power & Light utility was warning that 4.1 million of its customers could lose power, almost half of the state\u2019s population. Duke Energy estimated that Irma could knock out service to more than 1 million customers.

Hospitals, in these situations, were operating on backup power generators. Hialeah Hospital ran dangerously low on fuel late Sunday night for its generator, the Miami Herald reported. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted at 9:58 p.m. that the hospital had \u201cless than 2 hours of diesel\u201d and had no power. The paper reported that the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center dispatched the fire department to help, which delivered 800 gallons of fuel.

But even before the full damage could be tallied, Irma\u2019s impact was falling short of predictions by a number of measures.

Reinsurance firms including Swiss Re, Munich Re and Hannover Re were reporting that the most dire predictions about Hurricane Irma were proving to be wrong.

While it\u2019s too early to estimate the costs to Hannover Re and the wider industry, the storm didn\u2019t follow the path that would have created the greatest damage, Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Wallin said at a press conference in Monte Carlo.

Enki Research\u2019s estimate for total damages caused by Irma dropped to $49 billion from $200 billion as the hurricane dwindled to a Category 2 before reaching the populous Tampa Bay area. Chuck Watson, an Enki disaster modeler in Georgia estimated insured losses at about $19 billion. Reinsurers cover other insurance companies in the event of major disaster losses.

\u201cModeling indicates that there is a 10 percent chance of insured wind losses from Irma exceeding $60 billion,\u201d catastrophe risk modeling firm RMS said on its website. \u201cThis threshold continues to decrease from previous guidance, reflecting the increasing probability of a predominantly offshore storm track.\u201d

As of 2 a.m. Monday, Irma had top winds of 85 miles (135 kilometers) per hour, weakening to a Category 1 storm, and was about 25 miles northeast of Tampa, the National Hurricane Center said. Rescue personnel in the city were sheltering Sunday night until the winds died down. Irma is expected to weaken to a tropical storm over northern Florida or southern Georgia late Monday and Tuesday, the center said.

\u201cEven if it drops to 105, those gusts can be terribly, terribly life threatening,\u201d said Mayor Bob Buckhorn. \u201cWhen the high tide meets the surge, we\u2019re going to have flooding issues.\u201d

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it sent seven National Disaster Medical System teams, including community doctors and nurses, and two teams from the Public Health Service to Florida.","saveContent":"Florida hospitals are continuing to cope with high winds and storm-surge caused flooding resulting from Hurricane Irma.

By Monday morning, the hurricane had been downgraded to a Category 1 rating, pummeling cities along the eastern coastline of the state.

An estimated three dozen hospitals throughout the state have been forced to close or significantly limit operations, according to various news reports.

Storm-surge flooding and the loss of electricity have become some of the biggest effects of the natural disaster.

As of Monday morning, an estimated 5.5 million residents were without power, exceeding initial estimates by power companies serving the state. On Friday, NextEra Energy\u2019s Florida Power & Light utility was warning that 4.1 million of its customers could lose power, almost half of the state\u2019s population. Duke Energy estimated that Irma could knock out service to more than 1 million customers.

Hospitals, in these situations, were operating on backup power generators. Hialeah Hospital ran dangerously low on fuel late Sunday night for its generator, the Miami Herald reported. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted at 9:58 p.m. that the hospital had \u201cless than 2 hours of diesel\u201d and had no power. The paper reported that the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center dispatched the fire department to help, which delivered 800 gallons of fuel.

Hospitals try to weather challenges of Hurricane Irma

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